The Washington times., 1918-11-14
POINT IS WON FOR
MUTUAL TRANSFERS
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OF the companies had made any such
promises: that free transfers might
produce p serious financial situation
with the railways. Furthermore that
it was at nc time the understanding
Of the companies that The question Of
Scent fares should be coupled with
transfers: that the understanding was
that transfers shoIld be tEreshcd out
at another hearing.
MessTs. Darlington. Hamilton. and
Ham all read from the testimony and
statements they bad given. and Con
rad Syme read portions Of the testl-
mony reflecting an entirely different
idea on the part Of the commission.
He practically charged the railroads
with "crawfishing' now that they
had obtained an increase in fare
Commissioners Knight and Brown
low ell took a hand and then repre-
sentatives of citizens associations
began to fire their machine guns.
Citizens Protest.
Led by Evan Tucker. president of
the Northeast Citizens Association:
A. J. Driscoll. of the Mid-City, and
W. Nick. Clayton, of the Federation
of Citizens Associations, they told the
Commission and the railroads tina.
whether right or wrong Ihe people
of the city had an impression that
if granted increased fares the rail-
roads would consent to free trans
fers at some points; that the ques-
ton of transfers had been fiddled
with for many years without the
public getting anywhere; that there
would be quick and stout disapproval
of any delay in determination OF the
question, and that it was the wish
that the Commission reach a de-
cisiop at the earliest possible mo-
ment as TO whether or not free trans
fers at many points could not be
had without financial losses of any
great extent. The opinion was ex-
pressed by some of the speakers
that the Commission should go for
ward at once and inaugurate free
transfers and watch the results.
Strong objection was voiced to any
proposition that would lead to pay
transfers
Conrad Syme tried hard to obtain
from Messrs. Hamilton, Darlington
and Ham definite statements whether
the companies would raise legal OBJ
jections to free transfers il the COM
mission, after careful consideration,
should decide that these could be
given at certain points without great
loss. He was not able to commit
anybody ca positive answer, al
though the railway men stated that
II the transfers granted did not grave
ly hurt revenues they might not OBJ
ject.
Doubts Authority.
Attorney Darlington at one point
went SO far as TO express his doubt
whether the Utilities Commission had
the legal authority to authorize free
transfers.
The upshot of the fight was that
the railroad representatives finally
agreed that the commission should go
forward at once with hearings upon
the subject of transfers, and. with the
statement of Commissioner BrOwnlow
ringing in their ears that the hear |
ings and Investigations must proceed |
without any more delay than pos
sibie.
Railroad attorneys then began a
crOss-eSamination of Edward A. Rob /
erts, Of the Beeler expedition, who |
had expressed himself in the previous
hearing as believing that the losses |
from free transfers at certain points |
in the northeast and southeast, for
the benefit of navy yard workers and
others, would be hardly apprecisblc.
Although having admitted in the
iPast that il is entirely problematical
what financial losses would be from
free transfers. the railroads will pre-
sent much testimony indicating that
II any thing like universal transfers IS
granted they will lose in revenues
substantially what they werd given
with the increase in fares.