Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-10
GIVE IT NEW ANGLE
Commissioners Make Proposal
in Transfer Fight.
FAVOR A UTILITIES BOARD
Will Order Universal Transfers if
Given the Power.
URGE MATTER IN CONGRESS
Prefer Creation of Public Service
Commission to Enactment of
Separate Bill.
FAVOR A UTILITIES BOARD
URGE MATTER IN CONGRESS

Virtually promising that the first official
act of the Commissioners, i'm the event
they should be endowed with the powers
of public service commission. will be to
pass an order requiring the issuance OF
universal transfers on street railway lines
in the District, Commissioner Rudolph to-
day. it Is conceded, may have turned the
universal transfer fight in a new direc-
ton.
The Commissioner signed an order set
ting next Tuesday, at 10 O'Clock, as the
time when the District heads will give a
public hearing on the new universal
transfer bill, but added that "he did not
know why the hearing was to be held.
In Favor of Transfers.
TT is we'll known fact" said Com
missioner Rudolph that the three Com
missioners are in favor of universal
transfers in the District. The hearing
can develop nothing new as regards their
attitude in this respect.
What / would most like to see would
be a determined effort on the part OF the
people of the District to have Congress
enact the bill comforting upon the Com
missioners the powers of public service
commission If they should do this and be
successful in the undertaking they could
rest assured that they would not be long
in getting universal transfers"
The delay that any other effort to Sc
cure universal transfers is apt to en-
counter is the principal reason urged by
the president of the Board of Commits
sioners in favor of the comforting upon
the District heads the powers of a public
utilities body as the most effective means
of bringing about the desired reform.
In view Of the determined stand that
the Commissioners have taken in favor OF
universal transfers. there can be scarcely
any doubt, Commissioner Rudolph said,
that they would Immediately issue an
order requiring that universal transfers
be issued on railway lines in the District
provided they are given the authority te
do SO.
May Support One Bill Only.
Whether any announcement to this eff
feet will be made by the Commissioner.
at Tuesdays hearing is not known, but
it is considered likely that the Commits
sioners will refer to it in some manner
in reaffirming their policy concerning
universal transfers.
If they should decide that the likeli-
hood of the passage of the public utili-
ties measure would be lessened by their
advocating the universal transfer bill
xl,o a.
sion that the interests of the District will
better be conserved by their giving their
entire support to the former bill.
Residents of the District who have
taken part i'm the campaign for universal
transfers will be interested. 1t is believed
in the statement of Commissioner Ru-
dolph concerning the action the Commits
sioners will take with respect to the
transfer matter in the event they are en-
dowed with the powers of a public service
commission.
1t is not probable that any less ef-
forts will be directed toward secur-
ing the enactment of a transfer bill
which has been approved by the rep
resentatives of large number OF citi-
zens' associations, but it is regarded as
likely that the passage Of the public
utilities bill will be regarded as fur
nishing another opportunity for secur-
ing universal transfers that should not
be overlooked.
A campaign to line up the District
solidly behind this measure is predict
ed by a number of persons who have
followed the situation closely.
Reported Favorably on Bill.
That the Commissioners are thor
oughly in favor of universal transfers
in the District was established when
they submitted to Congress, at its last
session, a favorable report on the bill
Ito require all street railroad COM
panies in the District of Columbia to
issue free transfers. interchangeable
from the lines of one company to those
of another, and for other purposes"
This bill also provided that the street
railway companies should carry chill
dren under five years Of age and
school children above that age at the
rate of cents per passenger
Referring to this bill, the Commits
SionerS said:
1.-The Commissioners have in the past
consistently advocated compulsory free
transfers, and have met all objections
of the railway companies as to the
matters of finance and administrative
difficulty with the statement of their
belief that the financial burden which
would be imposed by the passage of
such u bill would not be a heavy one. and
the administrative difficulty would be
easily surmountable.
THE proposition Of the interchange
of transfers between the competing
railway lines is one involving distinct
and very great convenience to the rail-
way travelling public. In fact, 1T is
the opinion of the Commissioners that
in an urban community of the size and
character of this the travelling public
has a right, broadly speaking. 10 uni
versal transfers, and that the public
service transportation companies of this
city are not affording reasonable facil-
tiles in return for their privileges un-
less they do afford such privileges to
their patrons. If the companies reIuse
of their own accord, as they do. to
Continual IN fourteenth Pagel