The Washington times., 1919-09-22
D. G CHIEFS
AND TRACTION
HEADSGONFER
Consultation Held Preparatory
To. Resuming Hearings on
Rate Increase.
By BILL PRICE.


a lengthy conference today with the
Public Utnities Commission over the
street railway mess in Washington.
Commissioners Kutz and Brownlow,
Wsth Conrad Syme. the Commission's 3
counsel, sat for nearly two hours
with George Hamilton. president;
Jack Hanna vice president, and q.
q. Dunlop, attorney for the Capital
Traction Company.
Il was the desire OF the Utilities
Commission TO obtain facts as 70 the
financial condition OF the Capital
Traction and all possible information
having q bearing upon the rate hear
ing upon the application Of the wash
ington Railway and Electric Com
pany, which VIII be resumed tomor-
row
The Commission is up against
about the worst problem in Its his
toFy-that Of trying to determine how
it may give relief to one company
without handing out ass q present
substantially S1.o00o0o- 60 another
that Is not asking for II and does
not need t.
what II All Means.
The cold facts are that the W. r.
and y. tells the commission IL is fall
ing 91.11o,0o0 short OF earning s per
galG UPON aaAaNLlr ALLlaA AlAA@Ga ~
gets that amount Of money through
increased fares n the District 1t viii
not be able 70 survive financially and
may have 70 so into the hands Of q
reeeiveT.
unIess the commission is able to
show that the claims Of the company
ara are erroneous, or exaggerated, the
comnlission knows e is bound 20 at-
tempt 70 give that amount Of money
through either a straight increase in
fares in this city to 8 cents or more,
OF hy putting into effect a second zone
farh, which would give the ". r. and
u. fts more than 3 million dollars ont
Of the pockets Of city and suburban
peope living beyond q radius OF about I
tno and a haf mics from the center /
of4he city.
uoluteIy impossibs TO make df-
fsfent rates OF fare on the lines OF /
the two different railway companies. |
That is if q scent fare IS granted 1
the ". r. and y. it must also be /
granted the Capital Traction, which /
81 not asking for an increase and is |
new making about the per cent /
return on its valuation the commits /
sion wishes to allow.
Beth these companies haul about |
the same number OF passengers
yaarly In the present calendar year
81 1919. tn number will be approx |
u1ateIy $1,000 900 each, possibly more.
IL 100000 fares are again collected
~ the future on q scent basis. that
would mean that the W r. and =.
would get 100000 more revenue, /
which it claims TO need so badly,
while the CAPITAL Traction would get
$500, 900 more each year as a present
for which it does not ask. Further /
more the Utilities Commission would
have no control over what the Capi- |
tai Traction should do with this sum |
nF q Iarger one. The company might l
agree 10 spend Sc on extensions and /
improvements but that would mean /
the immense Strengthening OF one 1
line at the expense Of tn other.
Ineome Fr0n Zone Fares.
Prom the Imposition Of zone fares, /
70 which the community as a whole I
is strongly opposed, the financial bene- |
ITS TO the Capital Traction would BY /
no means equal those going to the /
W. r. and Z. Only upon two OF its /
lines, Chevy Chase and Fourteenth /
street. would the Capital Traction /
collect q second zone. fare, while the /
T.. r. and Z. would collect right roy /
ally upon practically al its lines, in /
Guiding the BrooIIand, Hyattsville, /
Brentwood. Georgetown Georgetown .
and TenleytoWn, Connecticut avenue /
Columbia. AnGcostia and other lines.
Through that process one would fat 4
ten and the other just be fed. enough /
% keep in more robust condition than 4
At present
one Of the things discussed at the
conference today was whether II may
be necessary TO bring the Capital Trae-
ti0n into the present hearings as
party in view Of the complications
which the commission is facing.
whether this is to be done may de-
pend upon. the revelations Of the W.
r. and z. at tomorrow's hearing.
President Ham. Of the W r. and =.
takes the stand again tomorrow TO
present hguRes OF his company's nm
ahciaI plight II viii then become
apparent 70 the commission whether
81 ia 20 be compelled, by the facts
Brought out, 20 increase the cOmpany's
revenues.A
Unless cFoss-eEaminatiou reveals
GhaE the c0mpany's claims are grossly
sVerdFaWn, the Commission will then
know that IL has reached the point
where Il must boost car fares in this
city above s cents pr resort to the
unpopular -eLpedient OF forcing over
- per cent Of the Districts popula-
tion 70 contribute at least 100000 !
more money through zone fares to
one line ana probably S25O,OOO a year
10 another.
WOuId Weieome Merger.
The move the Commission will 1
make regarding bringing the Capital {
fraction in az q party will be watch !
% with deep Interest 7
The commission would get down on =
~ knees IN grateful prayers IL the
two companies could. be merged 50 :
hat the rate problem could be ham q
Sled az one throughout the District e
lad not ag two problems. 4
The commission has long recog-
ilEed that q would be impossible 70
live the " r. A. r. or cents In
are and nothing 20 the other com
amy That would, beyond all ques- 3
son. bankrupt the W. r. g. T.. mas q
auch aG the public would turn to the q
,apital Traction and walking. q