The Washington herald., 1908-06-21
WASHINGTON STREET CAR SERVICE
NOW IN THE WAY OF RETIREMENT
New Power Facilities, Local Management, and
Supervision of Interstate Commerce Com
mission Promise Large Improvement

operating one or more street railroads
within the District of Columbia shall on
each and all Of its railroads supply and
operate a sufficient number Of cars clean
sanitary. In good repair, with proper and
safe power equipment appliances. and
service. comfortable and convenient, and
so operate the same as 10 give eXpedi-
tious passage. not 70 exceed fifteen miles
per hour within the city limits or twenty
miles per hour in the suburbs. 10 all per
sons desirous Of the use of said cars.
without crowding said cars"
The commission is given authority TO
require and compel obedience 20 these
provisions. Acting upon its precedents.
the commission may have hearings. as
certain the true conditions Of affairs.
make a code OF rules for the operation
Of cars. and cause the companies. through
the Police Court, 10 put them IN opera
ton.
Commission VIII he Just
Probably 1t will never be necessary to
go 20 such extremes. The commission is
made up of men who have given large at
tention TO traffic matters, whose Judgment
upon such questions is probably better
than that of the companies which operate
the lines. The conclusions 10 be reached
in any given case would be naturally 50
just as to command the acquiescence Of
the public and the managers OF the lines.
! Therefore, 1t Is TO be expected that the
outcome Of the present condition Of af-
fairs will be a car service that viii cease
to be disgrace 70 the Capital City, and
Will come somewhere near satisfying the
/ nd agr.
What such a car service would mean
/ out the Brghtwood line. and into the
other suburban territory Of the District.
( by way OF inducing the people 20 live in
/ the suburbs buy land and build houses,
| Is incalculable
History Would lie Repeated.
1 The history of Chevy Chase would be
repeated in every direction from the cen
ter Of the city. and Washington. in a few
years. would be six times its present size.
with the major part of its population
/ comfortably housed in dwellings about
which there would be a little breathing
/ space, and an opportunity 10 tread on the
grass and inhale the perfume Of roses and
/ gaze upon the beauties Of the summer and
autumn Towering plants. Il would mean
a happier community. and one improved
/ by being rid Of the obession that u was
uncomfortable because Of the daily inva-
sion Of It's rights by the car companies.
Now that the local management of the
street railways Acknowledges the need Of
better service 10 the suburbs and now
/ that the legal machinery exists 20 compel
/ II, Il may be confidently expected that
within a reasonably brief time street car
/ travel in the District Of Columbia will he
relieved Of some Of the discomforts that
/ nave attended it these many years
Merger Il Vigorously Denied
The question of the consolidation of tho
two street car lines into one system has
/ been recently given much publicity. and
! has been vigorously denied by those who
know the facts and have the last word
/ in such matters. Such union Of owner
ship and control has the precedent of
/ almost all the large cities Of the coun-
/ Try. The argument IN its favor is cheap
/ ened cost Of management doing away
with duplicate and competing lines. and
/ quite generally lessening the efficiency
! OF the service
! But In Washington there are special
\ circumstances which hitherto have milf
| tated against a consolidation of The two
/ companies. and these circumstances are
still in force. As a financial problem. the
/ union Of the companies would not be an
| imposslbility. but its impracticabilitv al
the present time is generally recognized.
and the managers Of the two systems
have said again and again that the merg-
er is the thing farthest from their plans.
at least for several years TO come.
In the immediate working out Of the
street railway problem in the Capital
the existence OF the competing and rival
systems may be taken for granted. and
the service will IN all probability be
worked out on the basis Of that rivalry
and competition