The Washington times., 1915-04-04
J1TNEY BUS ASSA|LED
BY TRACTION Co. HEAD
George {. Hamilton Hits Public
Utilities and Interstate Com
merce Boards.

70 the established order of public
transportation service here. and ask
ing full protection of the traction
lines against the invasion Of this ex- h
president of the Capital Traction !,
Company, bitterly arraiEned the Pub
lie Utilities Commission, the inter
site Commerce Commission, and Con
zens' Associations at the chamber OF
Commerce rooms last night.
He declared that apparently theso
tions hailed by President Wilson in
an address before the midyear con-
ference of the American Electric |
Railway Association here recently.
dent. that the olde order of, sus,,
piion and distrust had passed.. and
that a new era of fair play and un-
derstanding was at hand. .-,,,,
tions of the public Service Corpora
tion, and said that If the Public Utili- |
ties Commission had better under
standing and fuller knowledge of con-
tect the established order rather than
to coquette with the jiney fad. and
oher experiments in regulation.
Commission Unfair.
Mr.. Hamilton intimated that the
Utilities Commission had not been fair.
when after being organized but year,
1t had with such short period of prep
aration gone before Congress and de-
clared regulation of utilities impracti..
cal and appeared as an advocate OF
He said that Il fairness and justice
h daactuated the Interstate Com
merce Commission, when that BODY
ways in 1908, 1t would not have given
peremptory orders for change OF
equipment and double TRUCK cars, that
compelled heavy outlays. At this time,
to discard perfectly good single truck
%b IN Years soSff Of fe for douba
truck cars. This necessitated more
power and a new power house, DIFF.
ferent trackage f.dr aHd anIixn re6uilding e4 or
tensions had been ordered by Con-
MI. Hamilton said that If Congress
had been actuated by spirit of fair
ness it would not have haddled one
third Of the cost of a new Pennsylvania
avenue bridge over Rock Creek upon
the rarGsd %hen it was not only not
been put off it by Congress.
His company, he said. originally used
the Pennsylvania avenue bridge. but In
1875 it was required to lay new tracks
to pay $4,000 for the rebuilding Of
this structure. When the cable line was
laid. he continued, permission was
asked to use the Pennsylvania avenue
bridge again, and it was refused.
Must Change Trackage.
But now" he said. that a new Ave-
nue. bridge is building. we must change
pay n our Of tse cost that maS aaS
reach 81, SOC, ,000 in spite of the fact that
the highest past assessment for such
use in the District was Is per cent"
r4r fnl tNt, Nv
Hamilton said. had given the Calvert
street bridge to. the city.
A lively tilt between Mr.. Hamilton
and E. w. Oyster. one of the assistant
address Mr.. Oystem said:
ut strikes me that the talk of Presi-
dent Hamilton Is one of the best arSu-
ments I have heard for public owner
ship"
MIR. Oyster dilated on the local street
car serice and said there is consid-
cradle water stock in the railway cor
porations of the District
II do not want to answer the gentle
mans statement about municipal
ownership" replied Mr.. Hamilton, but
when the gentleman uses this opor-
tunity to talk about watered stock, l
must say that If the complaint against
watered stock reached the magnitude
of the complaint against the unfair as
sessments now going on in the District
there would. indeed. be great COM
plant
"Of all botches the present method of
assessment is the worst we have ever
had"
Mr.. Oyster demanded to know where
and in what particular.
Mr.. Hamilton replied in the outly-
Ing sections.
Members Interfere.
Others intervened and there was de-
mand from several quarters for "rcgu-
lar order" to end the discussion MIR.
Hamilton withdrew his remarks. Mrs
Oyster said that the District had the
best system of assessment and the best
assessor in its history, and the incident
was closed.
w. Nick. Clayton asked Mr.. Hamilton
why universal transfers could not be
given, and he replied that this could
not be done unless all lines were bough,
under one control.
Allan Davis. principal of business
High School, asked why school tickets
at a lower rate could not be given high
school pupils Mr.. Hamilton replied
that no cheaper fare could be given
without curtailment of service.
Mr.. Hamilton reviewed tho history o
the Capital Traction Company. He ad
vocated suffrage in the District, saying
that its denial was destructive of the
spirit of American citizenship.
The association appointed specia
committee to receive an account fol
funds contributed by the member or
ganizations to defray the necessary ex
penses of the citizens committee, t.
present the Districts side in the Con
gressional Investigation of the fisca
relations of the District, and Fedora
governments.
A resolution by Mr.. Clayton wa!
passed expressing the sentiment of tina
body TO the effect that any employ
to -lY hA