Evening star., 1921-10-19
D. c. LINES SPECIAL
ORDER WEDNESDAY
House Committee Votes to
Take Up Street Railway
Bills at That Time.

The House District committee to-
day made all legislation referring to
the Washington street railway situa-
ton the order of special business next
Wednesday. A revised bill introduced
yesterday by Representative Woods
of Virginia and several other bills
which members have stated their in
tention of introducing, will be before
the committee.
On the motion of Representative
OBrien of New Jersey. a subcommit- :
tee OF fve was authorized to confer
with the District Commissioners on
an investigation of the police and fire
departments. Representative O'Brien
argued that millions of dollars worth
Of property in the District is not ade i:
quately protected and gave the recent
fire at the National Hotel as an illus
tration.
Railway Lobbyist.
The statement was made by Rep
resentative Hammer of North Caro-
lima that the Washington Railway
and Electric Company is paying ST.
200 and $500 a month for the serv-
ices of a lobbyist.
The District Commissioners were
also censured by Representatives
Lampert, Keller and Sproul for the
decision to locate the new tubercu-
losis school at 18th and upshur
The committee today ordered a
favorable. report on a bill which al
ready has passed the Senate au-
thorizing the closing Of Piney Branch
= ~ as,sie zsa ,si.es,s. ea.
piained that rs bfssfiet commission-
ers favored such action. Representa-
tive Lampert of Wisconsin said that
he had made a personal ipvestiga-
rion and assured the committee there
was no reason why such action
Should not be taken.
Bill to Give Authority.
Representative Woods told the COM
mittee that the Commissioners are
preparing bill which will give them
general authority to close such
streets without specific authorization
such legislation was offered by men,
bers Of the committee.
Representative Walters Of Penn
sylvania invited all members of the
District committee to attend con-
ference Friday morning with spe-
cial subcommittee of the Senate on
the school building program for the
District.
Chairman Focht said that these two
matters Of legislation, the new school
program and the street railway
merger, were the two major PROPOSE
tions which the committee hopes to
clean up this year. Chairman Focht
said that the proposed blue-sky law
for the District. on which hearings
are being held by a subcommittee OF
which Representative Joe Brown OF
Tennessee is chairman. has attracted
attention all over the country. He
forecast that a model blue-sky law
ia 60 hi fo1 fr@r
the committee.
Changes In Measure.
Representative Woods explained the
principal changes in his new bill over
the measure which the House last
week recommitted to the District COM
mittee.
The principal change is in the ap-
portionment of taxes to be borne by
the street car companies and the
Potomac Electric Power Company. The
rejected bill provides that per cent
gross tax now paid by the street car
companies should be repealed and a
tax Of / per cent should be imposed
upon the net receipts Of the merged
corporations. The new bill proposes
to reduce the tax to l per cent in the
case of the street car companies. but
to allow the per cent gross tax to
remain upon the Potomac Electric
The next important. change would
be to make it mandatory upon the
Public Utilities Commission to keep
separate accounts of the street rail-
way and the electric power CON-
pany.
The third important change would
eliminate the feature in the rejected
bill which granted the street car
companies relief from payments for
improvements on their right of way.
Representative Woods explained
to the committee, that IN Injustice
was being done in making charges
of Decentralization. He showed
that by Public Utilities. Commission
figures the Capital Traction Company
is oyercapitalized less than per
cent and the Washington Railway
and Electric Company less than 10
per cent.