The Washington times., 1918-01-16
STREET CAR
.PROBERSPLAN
TO GET QUICK
BETTERMENT
By BILL PRICE,.

! That a quick beginning may be
made toward a betterment of street
car facilities in Washington. the ex-
perts recently employed by the Public
Utilities Commission to investigate
traffic conditions In this city will lay
before that commission, in a few days,
important recommendations.
The commission il expected imme-
diately to take up the recommends
tions and give them approval, should
they hold promise of the betterment
for which the public is daily clamor-
I ing.
John A. BeeIer. head OF the experts
employedl to make the investigation,
has reached the conclusion that the
situation is so pressing that he Will
not take time to complete a survey
of the whole fiaid. and cover every
thing IN one Recommendation. He will
make q crack at the worst spot first,
and IL that works out satisfactorily,
will tackle the other bad spots as fast
as possible,
Capital Line First.
His frst recommendation viii be
| for the Improvement Of the service OF
the Capital Traction lines in the con-
! gested area, including Fourteenth
street and Pennsylvania avenue, Gov
| ernment departments, and the busi-
ness centers generally. His plan,
which will not become public until
laid before the commission, Is de-
| signed to speed up the service in con-
( gested localities. put more ginger into
| things and get the people to and from
work on time. This first recon-
mendation will not touch the lines
| OF the Washington Railway and Elec-
tric Company.
! The plans will involve radical
changes in operating methods OF the
! Capital Traction lines, based upon
Mr.. Beeler's accumulation OF facts
here and his experiences in other
cities. It has not been decided wheth-
er hearings will be necessary by the
commission before adopting the
| recommendations The law calls for
such hearings, but the opinion prevail
! ed today that hearings may not be
necessary IL the Capital Traction Com
pany Is willing to put the recommen-
cations IN force without them. That
company, II is pointed out, has uni
formly shown q Willingness to CO.
operate with the Utilities Commission
4 as far as practicable.
The Capital Traction lines were Sc
lected for the first experiment be-
cause the greatest congestion and
the fastest headway are on these
lines. One chief reason, however, was
that this company has a good orgsni-
zation, and the experiment would be
more likely to develop beneficial re-
suits there than on any other line.
Proving a success on this line the
same methods could be tried on the
lines of the badly crippled Washing
ton Railway and Electric Company.
Appreciates Situation
Mr.. BeeIer explained to The Times
today that he fully appreciates the
sItuation in Washington and has been
working fast to get results I'VE are
gathering facts and not Impressions.
he remarked, "and facts cannot be
obtained without care. 1t does not
take long to obtain impressions we
are day by day measuring caretuIiy
the travel on every line from olock
TO block, with the service rendered,
and we will have the schedule OF
zach car and the data as to Its arrival
At all points from start to finish. we
want facts that will stand UP.
1--WE hope to make recommends
tjons that will aid the Utilities Com
mission in its desire promptly TO I'M
proye the service in Washington.
Reports to the Utilities Commission
show that the service Of the WASH
lIngton Railway and Electric Company
IIs getting worse. A month or more
ago that company was falling TO
reach it's maximum number of runs
from thirty to fifty each day. On
January Il failed to make 100 runs
that were scheduled and required by
the Utilities Commission. On January
q last there were siNty-four runs
short. and January 10 the number
was seventy-one.
The Capital Traction has also
failed to make the full number" OF
runs, but so far this month the re-
ports show that II has almost kept
its schedule, the delinquencies reach
ing an average OF i've or six cari
each day.
W. r. & +. Directors Meet.
The directors OF the Washington
Railway and Electric Company will
hold their annual meeting tomorrow
and the annual meeting OF the stock
holders will be held Saturday. There
Is a ve-y delicate situation to he me-
by the directing heads of this line.
II has been plainly put up to tn,
directors that the public is sore
from head to foot over service on tn,
lines OF that road, and tina the peopI,
expect the company itself to take &C
tion that will improve things: not I,
wait until forced to do something b!
the Utilities Commission. There +
sharp division OF sentiment as I,
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