Evening star., 1913-08-11
Claim in Effect Right to Load
Street Cars to Limit of
Their Capacity.
"RUNNING BOARD" ORDER
ALSO IS QUESTIONED
Attorneys State Public Utilities
Commission Failed to Hold Reg
ular Hearings.

railway companies of the District Of Co
lumbia to load their cars to the limit Of
their capacity, to permit passengers to
ride ON the platforms Of closed and open
cars and to occupy the running boards of
open carR Attorneys r. Ross Perry, for
the Capital Traction Company, and j. ].
Darlington. for the Washington Railway
and Electric Company, today asked the
public utilities commission to set aside
sections and 10 Of the recently adopted
street railway cars In Washington.
Mr.. Darlington attacked the legality Of
the provision forbidding passengers to
ride on the running boards Of open cars
on the ground that the issuance Of the
order was not preceded by regular hear
ings as provided by law.
Mr.. Perry, for the Capital Traction
Company, devoted the major part Of his
time to showing how seriously the trav-
cling public would be inconvenienced and
discommoded by any order limiting the
number Of persons who might be taken
aboard q street car.
At the conclusion Of the hearing Com
missioner Siddons stated that the public
utilities commission would Immediately
take up the consideration Of the various
points raised, and would announce, as
soon as possible, the date for another
and fuller hearing.
Hearing at Request Of Companies.
The hearing today was granted on re-
quest Of the two street railway COM
panies, who wished an opportunity to
I~<;n
rules recently promulgated which forbid
passengers to ride on the running boards
Of open cars, forbid the occupancy by
passengers of the front seats on open
cars or the front platforms Of closed
cars. and require cars which are loaded
to their legal capacity to display the
sign full car and forbids such cars to-
stop to take on additional passengers.
In his statement In behalf Of the Wash
ingt0n Railway and Electric Company,
Attorney DARLINGTON stated that the en-
torcement of the order against the oc-
cupancy by passengers Of the front seats
of open cars or the front platforms
OF closed cars would result in cutting
down the cO1npany's carrying capacity
by 21,OOO passengers each day, reducing
the companys revenues by more than
$LOOO each day, or more than $4,000
annually. Mr.. Darlington added, how
ever. that these figures were. Of course.
based on the assumption that all of the
company's cars would be loaded to their
utmost capacity on each trip.
He called the attention OF the COM
mission to the provision Of law which
requires that all formal orders Of the
commission affecting the operation of
the street railway cars Of the District
of Columbia shall be preceded by.
formal hearing, at which witnesses shall
be heard under oath, and Of which
stenographic record shall be kept This
provision, Mr.. Darlington held, nulli-
fed the recent order prohibiting the oc-
cupancy by passengers of places on the
running boards of open cars. for the rea-
son that this order was not the result
Of any such formal hearing.
Objects to Full Car Order.
Mr.. Perry. for the Capital Traction
Company. filed brief setting forth that
company's objections to the two Sec
tions referred to. He stated that it Is
impossible to enforce any ''full car
orders anywhere in the United States.
He stated that at certain hour in the
afternoon more than 2.7OO employees of
the bureau of engraving and printing
finish their days work and want to
get home as quickly as possible. To
handle this crowd under q full car"
rule, he said. would require nearly sixty
cars, which. operated under the required
headway. would make the last OF these
employees wait for nearly two hours be-
fore they could get car to take them
to their homes.
Jesse Pawling and Edgar A. Thomp-
son spoke in their capacity as private
citizens. Mr.. Pawling asked that the
provision against passengers riding on
the front platforms or front seats be
abrogated, while Mr.. Thompson asked
that q rule be adopted forbidding pas
sengers to occupy the rear platforms
of closed cars and to prohibit the carry
ing Of such things as dressed halves Of
mutton, sides Of beef, plumbers or
timers furnaces, cases Of bottled beer
and the like on the rear platforms Of
closed cars.
The hearing was attended by q number
of officials of both street railway COM
panies and by number of peryons
who had been brought by the companies
to testify as witnesses In case a COM
pIete hearing was given. 1t Is the In
tention of the public utilities commission
to give the disputed points early and
careful consideration, and other hear
ings will be held at as early a date as
possible.