The Washington times., 1920-12-30

NM.
ent rate of fare has been in effect, the
net income of the Capital Traction |
Company available for return, after
allowing for accrual OF taxes is $751; |
1886 representing an annual rate OF
return of 11.2 per cent on the ialr
value OF the company's property az
determined by the Commission. III
the rate OF fare asked for by the ,
petitioners were granted and applied
uniformly to the other street railway
companies, the effect on the revenues
Of the Capital Traction Company. as
suming. the same volume Of traffic as
has obtained during the past seven
months and the same operating ex-
pcnses. would be to increase the rate
of return from H. per cent TO 1915
per cent.
CITIZENS PLEA REJECTED.
I'm the argument in this case oy |
representatives of citizens associi-
tons, the Commission was urged 10
authorize a continuance OF the pres
ent rate of fare for the Washington |
Railway and Electric Company and
it's subsidiary companies, viz, cents
cash. with four tokens for 80 cents |
and fix the rate of fare on the lines !
of the Capital Traction Company NJ
8 cents cash or four tokens for IS
cents. The Commission was also !
urged to abolish the charge of cents
for inter-company transfers. In ue-
clining to give favorable considera-
ton to the first of these two suggcs-
lions. the Commission is of the opln- |
ion that it is inadvsable to depart
from it's position in this matter 10
which it has referred at length in pre-
yious opinions. The Commission firmly |
ho iS
public interest TO maintain uniform |
rate of fare on all street railway !
lines within the District OF Columbia
: to prevent q disarrangement OF the /
service that would be disastrous 20
the companies and the public alike.
I'm its order No. 1913, the commits
sion referred to the legislative
measures pending before Congress
which seek to equaliZe the disparity
in net earning power of the peu-
TONERS and that of the competing
company (the Capital Traction Com
pany) by a revision of the method
Of taxation on the earnings OF these
companies. No action on these
measures has yet been taken by the
Congress. The commission is OF the
opinion that no appreciate rehel
| from present conditions whereby one
| system receives less than fair re-
turn and the other an excessive
return can be obtained until some
change in the taxation methods Is
adopted, or until "A merger OF the
several companies is effected.
REQUEST is DENIED.
| In it's order No. 344 the commits
| sion referred to the claim of the pc
| titioners that the division of receipts
! from the sale of 2-Cent inter-companN
! transfers issued by them and the
! Capital Traction Company was in
| equitable and stated that a further
| study of this question would be maze
] and a decision rendered to take erect
| as of November /. 1919. Such study
has been made of the operations OF
the companies during the past year
| as a result of which the commission
reaches the conclusion that the re-
| ceipts from this source should be dis
| tributed equally between the petition
| ers and the Capital Traction Company.
| In view of this decision the Commits
| sion believes that the charge for in
| ter-company transfers might well be
| abolished. as suggested by represen-
| tatives of the citizens associations.
were IL not for the very great conEes-
| ton in traffic that would take place
at some of the points of transfer II
| free transfers were authorized. To
| meet this condition ana to reduce the
| possibility of abuse of the transfer
privileges. the Commission is of the
! opinion that a charge for such trans
| fors should be continued but be re-
duced to 1 cent each. Based upon the
| experience of the last six months this
will reduce the revenues of each or
! the two street railway systems by APP
proximately $4,000 n year, but 1t is
believed that this reduction Will be
| offset to some extent by an increased
use of such transfers.
| after careful consideration OF
all the circumstances of this case. the
| Commission is of the opinion. first,
| that il Is inadvisablc to grant the re
quest of the petitioners for an in
| crease in the individual rate of fare;
second. that the present individual
| rate of fare should. be continued;
third that the petitioners request for
an increase in the chartered or spe-
| cial car rates should be granted:
! fourth that the present authorized
! charge for intcrcompany transfers
should be reduced from two cents to
one cent"