Evening star., 1908-01-24
UNIVERSAL TRANSFERS
DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS FA-
VoR THE PROPOSITION.
Letter From President Macfarland
to Chairman Smith of House
District Committee

Official and hearty Endorsement by the
/ District Commissioners Of the universal
! transfer proposition is contained in a let
t ter received today by Chairman Smith Of
| the House District committee from IL. +.
| f. Macfarland. president of the board
| The Commissioners state that a little
| over a year ago they gave a public hear
| ing the universal transfer bill then
| pending in the House-which had been in
PRODUCED by Representative Madden of
/ Iiiinois-at which they heard the views of
! the traction companies and the opinions
| of citizens. The letter continues:
Following this hearing and after care
| fully considering information obtained
| therefrom, and from other investigations,
| the Commissioners reported to the chair
man OF the District committee of the
| House that they had taken occasion to
| examine into conditions elsewhere and
! found that a system of universal trans
! fers is in vogue practically in all cities
where the traction lines are under the
control of Il single corporation, and that
i'll detailed Instances free transfers are
also given between independent lines: that
they believed that the practical difficulties
suggested by the traction companies would
not be difficult to surmount, and that the
companies could devise means of putting
such a system in operation without seri-
Gus Inconvenience: that reciprocal and
free transfers at all interSecting points
should be provided for passengers desiring
to transfer from one line to another if the
same general direction of travel is pre-
served. No arguments have since been
advanced to cause the Commissioners to
change their then expressed opinion on
the subject.
After stating that the public of Wash
iugton seems satisfied with the present
fare of six tickets tor a quarter, the re-
port continues
AS to the section changing the rate
of taxation of the traction com mpanies. tn :
Commissioners reported that the fran
chise was of great value. but that tax
of ~ per cent asked seems to be extreme.
The Commissioners recommended that
this tax should be incro aSed from per
cent of the gross earnings to per cent
thereof
''All such questions affecting the deal
ingS with public utility corporations, the
Commissioners suggest, in justice to the
corporation and to the public. could be
more readily dealt with If the CommS-
sioners should he given additional pow
ers for the regulation of these corpora
tions in the District. it has been shown
by experience that they cannot properly
conserve the public interests without ad-
ditional authority.
They have recommended that Congress
should give them powers similar to the
administrative powers of the interstate
SoiHiiiSiCc toHiHlSSlOil OF OF the recently
created public service commission in New
York city. and that with these powers
they should be given authority and funds
with which to employ experts from time
to time in such special Investigations as
may be required. They believe that a
bin to this end should govern all classes
of public service corpora tions. gas COM
panieS. traction companies, electric light
and power companies and telephone com
panies. and they are preparing draft
of a bill clothing them with the powers
desired in the public interests with re-
spect to this matter. which draft will be
submitted at early date as possible.