Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-10
|CAR FARE SOUGHT
FOR SOME RIDES IN
D. c. IS g CENTS
Utility Commission Clasps at
Rates Demanded by w.
R. and E. Company.

District public utility comm ission-
ers gasped today when the full sig
nif1cance of the Washington Railway
and Electric Company's latest appeal
for financial aid dawned upon them.
Executive Officer Walter c. Allen
made some hurried calculations,
which showed that compliance with
the applications filed individually by
the subsidiary lines of the corpora
ton would mean, in some instances,
a 2S-cent fare to travel from one part
Of the city to another. In numerou
instances, it would involve a 14-cent
fare, he stated.
Chairman Kutz refused to give any
indication as to when the applications
might be considered. 1t was consider
ed at the municipal building more
than likely that the appeals would
not be taken up until the valuations
of the Washington Railway and Elec-
trio and the Capital Traction systems
are completed
More Far-Reaching.
Decidedly more complicated and far
reaching than any of it's previous ap-
peals is this latest request of the
Washington Railway and Electric
Company, filed with the commission
just before the close Of business yes
terday. 1t is divided into two parts.
First, the subsidiary companies, the
Georgetown and Tenleytown, City and
Suburban and Washington Interurban.
in their own rights without reference
to the system as whole, ask the fol-
lowing:
OF orb
2-Discontinuance of all transfers,
free, pay or otherwise.
3-Discontinuance of all through
transfer arrangements.
Second. the Washington Railway
and Electric Company. the parent
lines. asks that the system be kept
intact through the granting of a gen
eral straight Seven-cent fare and the
continuing of transfers at the present
tWo-cent charge.
These are the two general PROPOSE
tions submitted, with an alternative
proposal made to the effect that the
existing financial difficulties may be
overcome If the commission will per-
init both the Capital Traction and
Washington Railway and Electric
companies to chcarge a straight g.
cent fare, and. in addition, will re-
store the electric light rate to 10
cents.
Departure From Custom.
Never before have the subsidiary
lines applied individually for relief.
This departure from the customary
rule is taken as a warning that the
separate interests comprised in the
system are planning to stand on their
own legs and fight their own battles
If the corporation as a whole is not
to be given sufficient revenues to en-
able it to preserve it's integrity.
The individual petitions are in the
nature of a forecast of what must
happen if the system is dismembered.
Thrown back upon t heir own re-
sources and operating independently Of
each other, they figure that they could
not get along with less than a seven
cent fare, that they could not grant
transfers under any conditions, and
that they could not afford to enter
into through routing arrangements.
The main company, however. on be-
half of all the interests. states in it's
petition that ACKNOWLEDGMENT will not
be necessary If the system is given
mitted to continue to sell transfers
for cents each.
If such a concession should be
granted, the company says it would
be willing to issue transfers to short
end cars without additional charge.
An example would be the issuance of
free transfers to passengers leaving
ii street cars to board KenilWorth
cars at 18th and H streets northeast.
They would get the short ride to
CONTINUED on Twentieth Page.1