The Washington herald., 1914-08-04
MINORITY HITS
CROSSER BILL
Claim No Need Here for Mu-
nicipal Ownership Of
Street Railways.
COMMISSIONERS SCORED
Committee Report Says District Of
hcials Acted Either in Blind Enthu-
siasm or Gross Carelessness.

Scoring the District Commissioners and
declaring that I'VE unanimously agree
that local conditions in the District do
not call for municipal ownership of the
street railways" the minority report on
the crosser municipal ownership bill,
signed by seven members Of the House
District Committee, was presented to the
House yesterday by Representative
Winslow. of Massachusetts,.
The members signing the report are
Representatives Samuel E. winsIow.
Eugene z. Reed, Samuel wallin, A. L.
helster' s. F. Prouty. 7. II. Caraway
ana Ben johnson. In a note appended
to the report Representatives Prouty and
CaraWay say they personally favor mu-
nicipal ownership of electric street rail-
ways where the local conditions make IL
praeticaole' but they declare that such
conditions do not exist In the District.
Charges Hind Enfh usIasTn.
Referring to the District Commission
ers the report declares:
only a blind enthusiasm in advocating
the general principles Of municipal own
ership or gross carelessness IN studying
the structure Of the bill can explain the
iailure OF the commissioners TO point
out. with friendly criticism, IL they so
wisheo' the many and serious faults of
its structure.
The House OF Representatives Ia en-
utIed 10 more efficient service than In
given In the COMMISSIONER report.
Only two real points were made in
support OF the contention that munIcfpal
ownership Is needed in the District" saws
the minority. that citizens would be
given universal transfers and that the
companies are now overcapttaIized ana
In consequence the travelling public Is
being cheated out OF proper rights which
IL would obtain under public ownership.
h. universal transfers are urgently need
ed In the District" the report continues
We believe the quickest and surest way
TO obtain universal transfers Is for the
Fuolic Utilities Commission, with single
purpose. to press energeticaIIy a demon
strauon that the two companies can af-
ford to provide this service. for WITH
such demonstration 1t cannot be denied
legally"
Letters Are Cited.
The letters from the secretaries OF the
typographical unions of the Canadian
S. Ses OF Edmonton. Lethbridge, and Sas-
katoon, recently commented on at length
IN The Washington Herald, testifying 10
the failure of municipal street RAILWAYS
IN those cities, are referred to in the
report.
Analysing section of the bill, proyid-
ing TOT sinking fund. the report says:
On the basis Of the present earning
capacity Of the existing companies, II is |
obvious that unless the District can buy
the railways for less than the present
market value of the outstanding securt-
ties, the annual income would not be
sun1cient to pay the interest on the bonds
and to pay the sinking fund definite
annual sum sufficient TO redeem the
bonds at maturity
The conclusion Of the minority is re-
ferred TO as the same as that arrived at
by the National Civic Federation after its
study of municipal ownership Of public |
utilities:
THE committee takes no position on l
the question OF the general expediency |
of either private or public ownership. |
The question must be solved by each |
municipality in the light of local condI-
tons What may be possible in one COM
munity may not be in another In some /
cities the companies may so serve the |
public as to create no dissatisfaction, and
nothing may be gained by experimenting
with municipal ownership"