The Washington times., 1919-04-08
SEENEEDFOR
CONGRESS AID
FOR W.R.&E.
Believe Public Utilities Com
mission May Be Forced to
Urge Public Ownership.
By BILL PRICE

By BILL PRICE
More formidable grows the task o
the Public Utilities Commission il
trying to solve the almost inextric L
bic tanEle in the affairs OF the Wash
ingtOn Railway. and Electric Com
pany, and there is a growing belle
that the commission must consider 1
definite Recommendation to Congress
for municipal ownership of ali tht
street railway properties OF the DIS.
tr1ct in the interest of economical
operation in behalf of the public
which does not relent in the depth OF
Its feeling that under all circum-
stances and in all propositions put
forward II is being made the goat"
Congress may not be inclined "a
national ownership Of railroads. bU;
a street railway situation has arisen
IN Washington that calls for CongrCs-
atonal attention at the earliest posi-
bic moment. Injustice is almost GER
tain to be done no matter how il is
settled, except through public owner
ship, unless the Utilities Commission
strikes upon some plan not yet pre-,
sented.
Congress need not be asked by the
commission to pull the chestnuts out
OF the fire" for anybody. Let the
facts be presented just as they are.
The Federal Government has $4,000
employees In this city who must be
transported to and from their work
IL they are TO give efficient service.
They can not give this service. can
not be contented, II the railways fail
to supply adequate transportation.
Uncle Sam is many thousand times
the largest employer Of people in
WaShington. His interest in good
service is just that number Of times
greater than any other employer.
The District government Is the next
largest employer and is in the same
boat The two together employ close
10 100000 people.
1t would be exceedingly interest
ing II Congress were to uathorize a
referendum Of Washington voters on
this subject, as IL could do.
II may. or may not be true that the
washington Railway and Electric
Company is in serious need Of finan-
ciaI relief. II the facts show that
IL is entitled, despite its unenviable
past, TO be put on a stable basis that
Is fair to the capital invested, there
would naturally be injustice il its
claims are turned down.
On the other hand. there will DC
q gross injustice to a large percent
age OF the population of the District
If the proposition Of a two-zone fare
is authorized as a means for deriv~
ing additional revenue.
Would Harm Capital.
Perhaps the greatest harm would
be TO washington itself as a city. and
Congress is vitality interested in that
as the city council OF the District
The constant aim Of Congress, con-
CURED in by the people OF the Dis
trict, is to make Washington a dis
tinctive type among cities Of the
world-as to beauty, expansion,
health, happiness. no tenement
houses, no Boweries, no Whitechapel.
The congestion in some portions now
Is declared by health officials
to be undesirable and, in case of cpl
denies like influenza, decidedly dan
gerous to life.
Every real estate man agrees that
expansion into Uncongested districts
and toward the suburbs will be i'm
Ynensely curtailed with double fares
in operation. It would unQuestion-
ably restrict business and social in
tercoUrse between outlying commu
mites and the center OF Washington.
Experts agree that the American
family spends a certain amount Of
money each year for car fares. II
very unwillingly exceeds that amount.
Free TranGfers Threatened.
Free transfers. some time ago or
dered by the commission. are threat
ened by the proposition to charge
] cent for each transfer.
A peculiar aspect Of the two-zone
plan is that il would be discrimina-
tory IL put into effect on the W. r.
and z, and not on the Capital Trac-
ton lines. That company asks for
no additional revenues now. Later IL
may have TO do 30.
The two-zone plan could be obvi-
ated and the company given more
revenue IL the order Of nearly two
years ago reducing electric light
charges should be revoked and the
Potomac Electric Power Company al
lowed 10 cents per kilowatt hour. the
charge before the war. That would
enable the Potomac Electric Light
Company TO pay sufficient dividends
to the Washington Railway and Elec-
rric to bridge over temporarily fnRn-
cial difficulties. II is held by some
though, that this would throw upon
the user Of electricity the burden OF
paying part or the rides OF the pub
lie on the street cars.
So on every hand there are real
difficulties.
Bend Issue Possible.
Further bond issues might be
euthorized until the economic world
adjusts itself TO something like a
rormaI basis, but that would be op-
posed by stockholders who want to
make sure OF their dividends.
All OF IL is brought about because
the ruling powers OF the Washington
Railway and Electric squandered
Inoney right and left IN big dividends
and hghting strikes in the DAYS when
e was highly prosperous. apparently
forgetting that the inevitable rainy
day" might come.
IL is here now. The public was not
responsible for all this. Neither were
the present ruling powers OF the road
directly responsible, although possibly
able 70 have successfully conbatted
the disastrous policies in effect 80 |
long.