The Washington times., 1911-03-15
WHAT is THE BOARD OF
TRADE GOING TODO?

Our experience with this problem
Regulation of street raiIways) leads
us to the conclusion that it is advis-
able for the Congress to vest the duties
imposed upon this commission by the
act of May %, 1908, in a commission
or body more closely identified with
the District of Columbia, and which
will be enabled to give more immediate
attention to the problem of street rail
way service in this District than it is
possible for the Interstate Commerce
Commission to give.
. at is doubtless within your knowl-
edge that the duties devolving upon the
members of this commission necessitate
the absence from Washington of all
the members a great portion of the
year. There can be no adequate en-
forcement of the requirements of the
act by a body necessarily absent from
the city for long periods of time and
whose attention necessarily must be
devoted to problems in no way init
mateIy related to those arising under
the District act"
This was the message sent to the
Congress of the United States by the
Interstate Commerce Commission on
January IS, 1909. 1t was sent again
on January "a, 1910. 1t still expresses
the sentiment of the Interstate Com
merce Commission, and it ought to be
sufficient to settle definitely the ques-
tioE whether the Commission is the
proper body to control and regulate the
street railways of the National Capt.
tai.
Since these two recommendations
were made by the Commission, Presi-
dent Taft has called the attention OF
Congress to the unsatisfactory con
ditiOns resulting from the attempt to
give the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion jurisdiction over local street rail
ways. The Washington Chamber of
Commerce has adopted resolution ad
vocating a change. The Federation of
Citizens Associations has drafted a bill
providing for a change, and giving the
District Commissioners the powers OF
a public service commission. The Dis
trict Commissioners themselves have
made the same recommendation to Con
grcss.
In the face of all this, now comes
the public transportation committee OF
the Washington Board of Trade, and
proposes that jurisdiction over street
railways be left With the Interstate
Commerce Commission The commit
tees report containing this recon-
mendation is on file with the secretary
of the Board, and is slated for con-
sideration at the next meeting of that
organization, the last of this month.
Naturally, one asks himself how the
committee reached such conclusion,
and whv it makes such a recommenda-
tion. It's barely possible the answer
may be found in the personnel of the
committee. An examination of the
membership at least reveals some de-
cidedly interesting facts.
One begins with the knowledge that
the public service particu-
Iarly the Washington Railway and
Electric Company-are opposed to the
creation of a public utilities commits
sion and in favor of the present un-
systematic, ineffective methods of
regulation.
One finds that Gen. George H. Har-
ries is the president of the Board of
Trade and the vice president of the
Washington Railway and Electric Com
pany. He appoints the Boards stand
ing committees, but he doesn't ever
pack them in behalf of any particular
concern or movement in which he is
interested. He has stated publicly
that he put on the public transporta-
ton committee men who indicated an
interest in transportation and a desire
To serve.
Who. then, did General Harries select
for this committee?
Examination of the list shows that