The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-08-03
GOVT. OWNERSHIP
URGEDBYNEWMAN
TO FORCE MERGER
CONTINUED from First Pase)

Continued from First Pase)
on BOTH systems to allow the Wash
| ington Railway and Electric, which
has the lesser earning capacity, TO
8. No lesislation can MAKE the
two concerns consolidate.
In this situation. there Is but one
thing to do. There is but one thing
that can bring merger. with the re-
sultant economies due to having ONE
system instead of TWO. That one
| thing is:- -
Public ownership of municipal util-
| tiles has been notably successful In
other cities. In the District OF Co
| lumbia the success OF the publicly
owned and operated water system has
| been recognized for years. In San
Francisco public ownership and opera
| ton of street railways has been phe-
nomenally successful.
Profits On Scent Fare.
Out there the municipal street car
system, having about the same mile
age as the Capital Traction here. has
been built up In eight years at a low
1 first cost, low operating cost and BIG
PROFITS on 5-cent fare, In spite OF
\ the war.
The country over. publicly owned
utilities and privately owned utilities.
during the war period. made RECORDS
| as follows:
Ninety five per cent Of those private
ly owned had to ask for and got In
creases I'm rates.
Ninety five per cent Of those publicly
owned got through on the pre-war
| rates.
| In Washington, however. we have
situation vastly different from that
| in any other city in the land. The rem
dering Of street car service here Is
responsibility of the United States
j States Government. This city is here
| only because the Government Is here,
| and II is just as necessary for the
| Government to see to II that people
| here have transportation as 1t is neces-
sary for the Government to see TO II
| that the people who do its work have
offices, desks. typewriters, adding ma
| chimes, stationery, pencils, and eleva-
tors.
| There is not one particle OF differ
ence in principle between Government
| ownership and operation OF street cars
| that carry Government employees from
| their homes TO their offices and Gov
| eminent ownership and operation Of
| the elevators in the State, War and
Navy building that carry Government
employees from the first floor to the
fourth.
| There would be just as much logic
| in turning all the elevators in all the
Government buildings over to a priv
ate corporation to operate with
charge per passenger as there is in
turning the streets over to a private
corporation to run street cars on, with
a charge per passenger.
| u. s. Ownership Logical
| In the case of the street cars, OF
course, the business Of carrying
people has already been farmed out,
and private corporations have made
millions of profit in selling that serv-
ice, but the logic Of the two cases is
the same. and the logic of the Gov
eminent taking over the street car
lines and operating them as II does
| the elevators in the office buildings Is
but empha sized by this fact.
Some people say IL is dangerous"
for the Government to take over and
operate public utilities. They raise
all sorts Of imaginary ghosts TO scare
people who make the suggestion.
| Before getting scared, think a min
ute. The United States is a pretty
powerful institution, which has done
a number of big jobs well. For in
stance, IL dug the Panama canal, built
the Panama railroads and now oper-
ates both 1t built the Alaskan rail
ways and operates them. 1t has
erected huge dams in the arid West,
established tremendous irrigation pro-
| tects, sold water from enormous
reservoirs to settlers and brought
about the development OF millions OF
acres. 1t has kept the rivers and
harbors serviceable for years. II runs
| the light house and life saving
| services, and operates a considerable
navy. 1t builds $40, 000. 900 battleships,
and recently conducted and won the
greatest war in history.
And yet there are people who trem-
BILE and hesitate and have doubts when
1t is proposed that that same govern
ment take a few miles Of track in its
own city and run a few street cars on
1t, for the service Of the people who,
directly or indirectly, are here because
1t is necessary to the Government for
them to be here.
| Must Force Merger.
| Bear in mind, am not advancing
this method of bringing about a con-
solidation Of the two major street car
systems as an economic theory. I'm
not saying anything at all about the
abstract principles Of sociology or
morality in the case. I'm advancing
1t for two reasons, and two only:
One, that a merger Of the two COM
panies is necessary in order to get
| low fares.
Two, that there's no way to get a
merger except by Government owner
ship Of both.
Government ownership of the street
railway lines in Washington, there
fore, is not only logical and justifiabie,
It is an absolute necessity, for by no
other plan can the over-burdened peo-
Pile Of the District get relief from high
street car fares.
Tomorrow-Capital Traction IDEAS