The Washington times., 1919-02-04
TRANSFERS
WORTHLESS.
IS CLAIM Of
VIRGINIANS
BY BILL PRICE.

By BILL PRICE.
Virginia commuters into Washing
ton over the Washington Virginia
Railway lines are a sore bunch OF
people-thousands Of them-over
their alleged ,mistreatment by that
railway since the inauguration of
free transfers at the Twelfth street
terminal station OF the company.
They are threatening to take their
case to the Virginia Public Service
Commission and raise a real big fog.
They openly assert that the company
pays no more attention TO transfers
in Washington or to cooperating in
the recent decision of the Public
Utilities Commission Of the District
IN free transfers than jack rabbit
does to a buzzard.
The company, on the other hand,
declares that its patrons are under
misapprehension; that the Public
Utilities Commission never intended
free transfers to apply to interstate
passengers, and has no control over
the business of the road in Virginia.
VIrEInIanE Were Hopeful
The whole question hinges upon
whether the washington-Virgini
railway is willing to give its Virginia
patrons transfers to the CAPITAL Trac-
tion lines without compelling them to
pay extra for it. When the Public
Utilities Commission of the District
ordered free transfers between Capt.
tai Traction cars and Virginia cars
at Twelfth street the Virginia people
who work in Washington naturally
felt that they were at last going to
get something; that when they land
ed at Twelfth street they would have
free transfers to the Capital Traction
lines without having to pay an addi-
tional fare.
They were simply mistaken, is the
polite way railway officials speak Of
IL today. They labored under a mis-
apprehension, as the public usually
does when dealing with stubbornly
inclined railways. For instance, that
cash fare Virginia patrons have paid
in addition TO their Communication
tickets they thought sure was for
transportation inside the District. No
such thing, railway officials said to-
day. The nickel is simply a part Of
their fare and has no reference to
the District at all.
For instance the man coming to
washington from Vienna who has a 4
Communication ticket that costs him
S5-25 per month always understood
that when he handed over his ticket
and a dve-cent fare the cash was for
his fare inside the District. He felt
sure that this being so he ought to !
get a free transfer to the Capital /
Traction lines. Oh, beau. you were
wrong, officials say. Your commuta- |
tion ticket is good only to Roslyn or |
TO Clarendon. The cash fare which !
the conductor took up when he grab |
bed your Communication ticket was
from Roslyn or Clarendon on into |
Washington.
Won't Divide Receipts.
The cash fare was collected in Vir- |
ginia and the company has no notion |
OF dividing the receipts with the |
Capital Traction Company by giving /
you a transfer.
II this Vienna passenger should tell |
the conductor that he wants a trans 4
fer at Twelfth street, the conductor |
suggests that he hand over another /
fare just beyond the bridge connect
ing the District and Virginia But /
the passenger is told that the com
pany does not wish TO collect the ad-
ditionaI fare and does not wish to
issue a transfer; just keep the cents |
and give IL to the Capital Traction.
Strictly inside the District the Viz /
Einia Company recognizes the ruling i
Of the Public Utilities Commission.
Passengers boarding cars going to-
ward the bridge or coming north TO
Twelfth street may give and get
transfers. So far, it is alleged, few
passengers have ayaiIed themselves
of this privilege
The idea that several thousand Bu-
reau OF Engraving and Department OF |
Agriculture employees would use this
route was a mistake, officials said.
Neither railway has been bothered
with many transfers. People work
ing in the two institutions mentioned
continue their old habits. The num-
Der Of transfers issued at Fourteenth
street and Pennsylvania avenue has
been much smaller than was expected.
Thousands Of people walk as they did
before. In bad weather they NAV use
the cars and transfers.
The Virginia resident who starts
from Washington in the afternoon
for his home has experiences some
thing like this: II he gets on at
Twelfth street he merely hands over. |
beyond the District line, his Gus
tomary cents and his Communication
ticket. II he gets on at Twelfth
street and has a transfer from the |
Capital Traction IL is worth nothing. |
He must still pay cash and give up
HIS ticket.
His transfer is not even collected
many passengers claim. Just as soon
as he gets to the south end the bridge v
mnn 49,