The Washington times., 1921-05-17
CONGRESS TO
RUSH MERGER
Chairmen of Senate and House
Committees See Early Trac-
tion Combine.

Washington is nearer street car
merger today than it ever was be-
fore. This is the opinion Of men,
bers of Congress who have watched
the efforts Of the officers of the
street railway companies and the
District Commissioners to agree
upon some voluntary plan Of
merger.
The officials of the companies and
District officials, who have been try
ing to agree upon a plan for a mer-
ger for several weeks. met at the
District building again today and
after comforting for about an hour
adjourned to meet again at the call
Of the chairman. Col. Charles w.
Kutz, engineer Commissioner.
The adjournment without a set date
for: the next meeting was taken to
mean that the conferees had not been
able to agree upon any plan and
would wait upon action by Congress.
MERGER Is PREDICTED.
Both Senator Ball, chairman Of the
Senate District Committee. and Con-
Hressman Fsocht. chairman OF the
House District Committee, said today
that there would be a merger. I'M
mediately after II became known that
the District conferees had failed to
reach an agreement, Congressman
Focht sought Senator Ball and dis
cussed a plan of action.
Senator Ball said he thought the
Merger plan would have speedier
passase through the District COM
.mittee of the Senate and finally
through the Senate than II the
legislation was initiated in the House.
He said that the plans of the Senate
and the House were SO much alike
that 1t did not make much difference
as far as the plan was concerned
which side of the Capital initiated
the measure.
There are two things in the
District which ought to be look ed
after Immediately" said Senator
Ball. "One is the street car merger
and the other is. enlarged school
facilities The~Senate District Com
mittee will begin work on the street
car merger next week and we will
push IL until we have accomplished
our purposes"
SEochts expressed nj
most tbc same sentiments. He said
that the schools and the merger were
uppermost in the minds Of his commit
tee and that his committee was strong
ly in favor OF a,merger. Congress
man .Focht- said yesterday that he
had been informed that an agreement
among the conferees was far away
and that he was Immediately going
to get In touch with Senator Ball tn
arrange conference for today.
The conferences at the District
building by the officers OF the street
railway companies and the District
officials. grew out of suggestion
made by Commissioner oyster at a
hearing held by Senator Ball early in
April.
OYSTER SUGGESTS DELAY.
Senator Ball called an informal
meeting Of members of the Senate and
House District committees, District
oficials and citizens interested in a
merger Of the street railways in order
to get Information and sound out the
sentiment. Commi ssioner Oyster, who
was present at the meeting, suggested
that Congress hold off for a while and
see IL the companies could not get
together on a voluntary merger.
The frst meeting was held in Com.
missioner Kutz's office on April IL
and the conferees have been meeting
every week since, during which each
company submitted plans for a mer-
ger. They could not agree upon q
plan and then the Commissioners sub
mitted a plan to which the companies
could not agree.
Almost from the beginning rumors
reached members OF the House and
Senate District Committees that
voluntary merger was not to be ar
rived At. and in last effort to get
the companies to agree, the House
subcommittee considering a merger
plan, discontinued it's hearings, so as
to leave the conferees free from any
suggestion from the Capitol.