Evening star., 1919-04-15
Equity for Everybody.

The war Generalization of our street
railway service has not yet been rene
died. The tremendous addition to
Washington's population, due to the
war, has pressed a vastly increased de-
mand for transportation service upon
a street railway system inadequately
equipped and manned to meet even
peaee-time requirements, and especial
ly demOralized in Washington Railway
and Electric service as the aftermath
of an inJudiciously handled strike.
Washington must have better service
for the relief of a crowded. delayed.
inconvenienced and mulcted travelling
public. The cost burden of this abso-
lutely essential betterment must be so
imposed as to do equity and to infiict
upon every one a minimum of injus-
tice.
Tho Public Utilities Commission in
working out this equity between the
parties in interest is disturbed by as
many conflicting cross-eurrents as
those which demoralize the traveller
over the China sea or the English chan
mel.
For example, the specific question
now submitted to the commission asks:
"Who shall equitably bear the cost of
restoring efficiency to the w. R. & E.
street railway service?" The parties
involved are (D the travelling public,
entitled to adequate and efficient serv
ice at reasonable rates; (2) the rail
way employees, entitled to fair working
conditions and living wage; 90 the
owners of street railway stocks, re-
quired to render adequate service, and
entitled to reasonable return in divi-
dends upon their money invested in
good faith; and ~ if municipal or ma
tional ownership is an issue, the mu-
nicipal or national taxpayers.
The Public Utilities Commission as
court of equity seeks to do justice as
between these different groups of
Washingtonians, from whom contribu-
ton or sacrifice may possibly be re-
quired. Washingtonians constitute the
majority of the railway stockholders;
the bulk of car-operators and car
users; also nearly all of the indi-
vidual municipal taxpayers: and the
payers in 1918 Of over twelve million
dollars (more than sixteen states) in
national taxes.
The first suggestion is naturally to
require the stockholders to meet all
the cost, or surrender their property.
They hold their franchises not as gifts,
but grants for which continuing COM
pensation must be made to the pub
lie, including primarily adequate serv-
ice. The stockholders, through their
agents, are mainly responsible for the
threatened breakdown. They have
blundered expensively in dealing with
their employees in manner which sug-
gested the corporation crime of con-
tempt of public opinion. They are ac-
cused Of having used money which
ought to have been spent in the main
in equipment in e1travagant dividends
on the common stock. Let them now,
the other parties suggest, render the
adequate service which the law de-
mands, and stand uncomplainingly the
expense, however great, cutting out for
q time If necessary all dividends on the
common stock and sending into 'receiy-
,ership the few nominally Independent
.mproftaAe suburban lines, Of which
tho W. 3. & E. Company owns ma
sdority Of the stock.
Tho w. r. &c E. stockholders reply in
ssubstance: eve have borne the main
Burden of developing into scientific,
modern rapid-transit system Washing
ton's street railways by merging null
fitude Of improbable lines into unified
operation for the public benefit. In
rendering this service We have oper-
.ated and steadily improved for many
years a railway system with an e1-
hraordinary mileage Of suburban track,
Improbable now, but of great poten-
fial future value. We have been able
10 bear this burden by paying low
swages to our employees, by close econ
pmy in equipment and for much of the
atime in operating expense, and by saw
5ngs in securing cheap or free electric
motive power through ownership Of the
Potomac Electric Power Company.
AFTER we had lost several hundred
thousand dollars in a strike Of our en-
sployes the war-service demand fell
upon US s-unprepared. The high cost of
swar-living tremendously increased our
-expenses. We have been compelled to
spay far heavier wages to our employees
.and they are now no longer underpaid,
but in the most highly compensated
class of such workmen. We have been
required to make large investment in
equipment, including fifty new cars,
yforty-two of which are now in use.
Our revenues have been decreased by
the cutting down of the electric light
rates and the dividends therefrom
which have helped US to run the street
pailways; and have been further re.
.dueed by adoption Of the system Of