The Washington herald., 1921-06-14
Member of ID. G.. Commit
tee Says Roads Must
Cut Charges.
DECLARES PUBLIC
ENTITLED TO DROP
Thinks Congress Opposed
I, To Public Ownership
Of Lines.

Lower fares to be followed by
merger of Washington street car
! companies. or a merger with lower
,ares as a natural result. is predicted
oy Representative Hammer, of North
scarolina, a member of the house
. District committee.
In saying that 1 am in favor OF
. 7-cent far for Washington. said
Hammer. Il do not mean to infer
lhat 1 would be Atished with this
deduction. 1 am in favor of any i'm
mediate decrease in the fares that
would offer relief to the patrons OF
he street cars, only until such time
as a merger Of the two lines can be
effected. A 7-cent fare if only re-
duction of l cent. is at least a move
n the right direction"
Urges Pepco Divorce.
a merger. in order to otter a
permanent remedy for the present
/. street car situation, must provide
I Tor the absolute divorce of the Poto-
mac Electric Power company from
/ the Washington Railway and Elec-
tric company" continued Represen-
/. tative Hammer. 1t should also place
the control of the traction companies
in the hands of tie Capital Traction
; company, a corporation which has
:. nndeniably demonstrated its ability
10 operate a street car line on a
paying basis with reasonable
charge for its service
! The plan should empower the
|. Capital Traction company to issue
stock or bonds not in excess of the
outstanding bonds of the Washing
ton Railway and Electric company
n or6er bat they. might acquire the
outstand. bonds of the Washing
Ton Rail.Cay and Electric company.
In case r4e Washington Railway and
= ,stric company should default in
me payment of the interest on their
bonds it should be provided that the
Capital Traction company be al
lowed to acquire the property and
franchises of the Washington Rail-
/, way aI.I Electric cimpany at a price
not to exceed a price which such
property and franchises might be
sold at a judicial sale
Monopoly EXISTS Now.
Il gems ridiculous to me-" said
) Rep sentative Rahmer, that the
patr ms of the Capital Traction
company should be obliged to pay
4 f. e in excess of that asked By
bs company because it was found
! r. the Washington Railway and
Electric must increase its rate OF
lare- The two lines are held to be
sCm Oetitive, yet by an equalization
o. res any good results that might
accrue from competition of this kind
"a, neutralized, and as far as the
public is concerned a monopoly ex.
lists now. barren of any of the ben,
efits to be derived from one"
IF the Washington Railway anC
Electric was entitled to an Seen,
fare, supposing that such was the
case, then 1 would be favorably in
clined to support a means to grant
permission to charge this amount
said the representative: but il the
Capital Traction Company was
ffound to be able to operate on 9
scent fare. then that is the rate
j that should be charged
The condition of the w. R. & r
is by no means attributable TO the
Capital Traction Company nor tc
the general public. 1t appears Ic
have been brought about through
mismanagement and bad judgment
on the part of those responsible fol
its early evolutions, ard it does not
/ seem fair that the public should be
charged an excessive fare not only
on the lines of the w. r & f. but
on the lines of its competitor
oo~Ause fthis unfortunate situa-
lion"
Favers Public Ownerxhip.
Personally" continued Hammer
P'I would like very much to see mu-
nicipal ownership of the car lines
tried here, but much opposition has
been offered by congress to such
measures. 1t has been pointed out
many times that in the event the
car lines were taken over by the
T inicipality those people living in
AS states would be obliged to
so per cent of a railroad In
ich they had no interest, owing
the ffty-fifty plan now in exist