The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-07-18
CAPITAL TRACTION
SNUBS NEW BOARD
President Hamilton Refuses
Information-Will Give 1t
to Commerce Commission.

A snub from President George E
Hamilton, Of the Capital Traction Com
pany, came TO the District Railway
Commission today In a letter M
Hamilton curtly refused 70 give certain
Information for which the commission
had asked.
The members Of the traction board
refused to discuss the matter. conhnIng
themselves TO giving out the nature
Of the correspondence between the com
mission and Mr.. Hamilton. The fact
that Mr. Hamilton was carrying out
his policy Of am agOnisIn 10 the com
mission. however, as previously ex-
pressed in his declaration that the an
pointment OF it BY the Interstate Com
merce Commission was Illegal. seemed
TO be tacitly accepted.
The rebuff from the president Of tho
Capital Traction Company Was the
first that the commission has received
since II undertook TO serve EratuitousIy
In favor Of the street car riding public
Refuses to Give Schedules.
The members Of the board held their
last regular meeting OF the summer. in
the Westory building today. A letter
had been sent BY them, through General
Wilson, the chairman. asking that the
commission he given information as 10
the schedules and equipment OF the
Capital Traction Company's cars. The
reply from Mr.. Hamilton said that such
information was OF a private nature
and could be given only 10 the Inter
state Commerce Commission itself. and
that IS TO complaints against the serv-
Ice the company would hold itself ready
to make reply when notified BY law.
The letter was entirely bare Of any
suggestion that the author OF il accent
ed the fact that the Electric Railway
Commission has any powers whatever,
although It did ackno n7ge a notice
sent the railway comp that the IN
terstate Commerce C mission had
conferred certain powe on the EIec-
trio Railway CommissiC ..
West Made Vice Chairman.
General Wilson chairman of the
traction board, is to leave Washing
ton tomorrow on q vacation, and Dis
trict Commissioner West has been
chosen vice chairman He will call a
meeting of the remaining members II
any matter of sufficient Importance
arises.
Considerable time was taken up al
the meeting by a general discussion OF
! the future OF street railway matters in
/ this District, particularly as regards the
( complaints against the service to and
/ from BrightwCod and along Connecticut
| avenue. a letter signed by Henry T.
Koudrey, of 217 Second street south
! east. suggested that the commission
/ order relative to the stopping of cars
on the near side Of the street should
not apply to Capital Traction cars Roins
I east from Second street southeast
until proper platforms should be pro
! vided to enable passengers TO board
the cars. At present, he asserted. there
is only grass plot there. on which
! passengers slip and sometimes fall.
Complains o. Overcrowding.
A letter from r. Magic. OF tn,
Solicitors Office, of the Department o.
| Commerce and Labor. aroused consid
cradle interest, as it contained consid
cradle data. which viii prove valuabl,
after veriication- Mr. Magic declare.
/ that the cars on which he rides. a
least. are overcrowded- He kept ac
| count OF the nllil2Del OF passengers OF
| his morning car for ten days, and founC
that an average Of sixty persons wa.
carried. the seating capacity of eacI
car being thirty. He took a car daily
at Adams and North Capitol streets. Or
| one occasion there were seventy-sil
pass 5ngers registered. He wrote EN-
pha.ically that these cars were crowd
cd" and then referred to section 16 o
public act, 13i, which simply says tha
! the street railway companies shal
operate a sufficient number Of cars 70
expeditions passage and to avoid crowd
ing"
Mr.. Magic desires to know what con
stitutes a crowded car, and asked 70
q definition from the commission.
the latter body succeeds in securing
proper definition, then II win be it
duty. one OF the members said today
to see that the law is enforced. Tn
steps that will be taken to get lega
, definition Of the word have not yet bee
At farrniund