The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-05-31
The Plans for SoIUing
Street Car Problem
BY BILL PRICE.

the public in the existing street car problem here now ha
before it DEFINITE plans for solution and there is every
evidence that legislative body business and will
act before this session ends The action may be just
little drastic than the street railway officials had
pected, too. E
The OYSTER PLAN Commissioner OYSTER proposed
plan that would undoubtedly solve the problem for a
time to doubtless ending in merger Of the street
railway properties Former Commissioner GARDINER adj
vocated this plan 1t the legal merger of the Ri
and E. and the Potomac Electric Light and Power Company
so that temporarily least electric light rates may enable
lower street car rates MI
BY this plan the electric light now existing would
not be increased but instead of portion of the coli
ected being mpounded for possible return to thu
event the courts uphold the Utilities Commission in past
decisions all of the collection would be retained by the
company The increase In earnings through this would BE-
about $4,000 per year With this increase (he pro-
ceeds go to the W. and E. the latter company would
be able to reduce fares to at least cents straight OF
Capital Traction fares would be brought down
that figure, too Captain Oyster believes it would
give Scent rate S
In other words, the Washington public would pay
Theoretically $4,000 each year in electric gh
charges but would actually save in street railway fares
$87654 annually net saving of $483 810 The net saving
would be absolutely $S76,754 annually the courts de-
eide the electric light in favor of the company
At any rate the plan offers minimum saving of prac
cally half million dollars yearly, although open to crit
cism that electric light should not pay the bills Of
street railway riders AS whole though, the community
would large amount of money and the nequties as
between the two railway companies would be removed
The KUTZ PLAN-Commissioners KUTZ and RUf
DOLPH offer what is known the KUTZ plan, which
would do much toward solving the differences that
exist 1t proposes that the street railway companies shall
pay the District earnings rather than gross
Under this plan the W. and E. would pay taxes at all
Git pays about 100000 Year, while the Capital Trac
ton would pay instead of about 100000 present
thing like $450OO0 With other savings proposed in th
plan the two roads would be brought together
financial relation
The CLAYTON PLAINTIFF Clayton plan, fathered BY
the Federation of Citizens Associations would be separate
uu~x
be allowed Scent Scent fare while the w. R. and
would be allowed to charge, in all probability, high
10 cents The plan might accomplish the aims
tended forcing the two companies to merge did not do
that would bring about the worst chaos known in
street and in public discomfort Out of this
chaos and possibly rotng would sort of settle
ment.
W. Mex CLAYTON its author, says the people Cd
the thing brought to head The separate plan would
he feels bring it stormy head and it doubtless would
leaving wreckage in its path. ~
One effect of Scent fare the Capital Traction and
an Scent to 10cent the W. R. and would be that the
c. T. lines would be swamped jammed to point where
the entire service might be threatened while the w. r..
and E. lines competing with the G. T. lines would be prac
ticay deserted. The losses of the W. R. and e.
lines would be The fares the other lines
would have to be large enough to pay return to the
pany on its valuation; that is the law is followed
1t would amount to ZONE OR DOUBLE FARES, for
patrons of the Columbia City and Suburban, Georgia
enue Brookland Anacosta, Rockville and all other lines
where there competing lines of the Capital Traction
Part of the city would pay all the money while the other
part would literally fight to who could get the c. t.
cars to get to work. The Utilities Commission opposes
this plan.
! SERVCE-AT-COST PLAN-And the best of all the
plans if Congress will not agree to municipal ownership,
lis the proposed method by which Congress
could under its rights of domain throw the two roads to-
gether for operating purposes They might continue
separate properties be operated by their owners but
trolled by the Public Utilities Commission, for the public
They would receive fair return their legally established
valuations no more less. That would give the
of foro both nd ce-ec is what