Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-16
The Trackage Agreement.

The agreement of the station trackage
conferees on compromise bill is entirely
gratifying to the people of Washington
who had begun to fear that the session
might close without action upon the vi
tally important measure.
The compromise bill grants to the pub
lie practically everything that was de-
manded by 1t. Not only are tracks to be
instructed under it's terms to the Union
station. but they are to be according tc
the lines of the engineers of the District
which are devised solely with a view
to the maximum accommodation of the
people. Thus, within a year, permanen,
tracks are to. be laid upon the plaza con.
Meeting with all the lines of the city directly
or Indirectly and thus enabling the resi-
dents of every part of the District to
reach the station in the least possible
time. Meanwhile temporary tracks are
to be constructed to grant immediate re-
lief from the intolerable conditions that
have prevailed for months, wholly as the
result of the negligence of Congress. Fur
thermore, certain new lines are to be con-
structed to accommodate the residents OF
now unserved sections OF the city.
The bill as agreed upon is also victory
q
reasonable regulation of public utilities in
the interest of public convenience. The In
terstate commerce commission is for the
purpose of regulating District traction
matters constituted a public service COM
mission, such as those created In the state
of New York by act of the legislature
Tie workings of this new system will be
interesting and it is to be expected that
the public will be given the maximum OF
benefit in the way of service conditions
without imposing upon the corporations
harsh and burdensome requirements.
The only feature of the House measure
which the conferees have eliminated IL
that which provided for universal trans
fers between the two local traction sys-
TENS. There has not been at any time q
strong public demand for this innovation
and its disappearance from the measure
may in some respects be regarded as an
advantage. 1t Is quite possible that the
securing of that privilege might postpone
other and more important improvements
in the service by imposing a new and pos
sibly expensive condition upon the corpo-
rations and thus giving them grounds for
contention before the authorities Of regu-
lation that improvements should wait
upon the disclosure of how far the univer-
sal transfers might prove detrimental
Taken all in all, the conference agree.
ment is the happiest possible issue out Of
a situation which, at one time, appeared
hopeless of adjustment. The Senate con-
ferees have earned the thanks Of the
community by insisting upon action on
the station tracks proposition, and also
by yielding sufficiently in the end to in
SURE it, The House conferees on their
side have secured for the public the need
ed extensions of the Capital Traction sys-
tenn across town and along New Jersey
avenue to reach the station directly from
the north, and have obtained, also,
the measure of regulation. for which
there was genuine demand. It is now to
be expected that the two houses will
promptly ratify the work of the con-
ferences SO that the necessary improve
ments can proceed without the least fur
thef delay. Time enough has already
been wasted.