Evening star., 1922-02-01
ASKSzONE SYSTEM
ORSAME CARFARE
President Ham Says One or
Other Essential to Operation
of w. R. & (.

The Washington Railway and Elec-
trio Company today asked the Prs'lic
Utilities Commission to continue the
present rate of carfare Indefinitely
on all street railway lines in the Dis
trict
The present rate of FIVE tokens for
IS cents or s cents cash expires
March 1. The w. r. & f. summed
up it's appeal for continuation of
'present rates in this paragraph:
That aside from the constitutional
right of your petitioner to be author
lied to charge rates Of fare which
yield them g. reasonable return upon
the fair value of their properties, the
best interest of the public which they
serve demands that your petitioner be
permitted to charge rates which will
enable them to keep their respective
properties at all times is Il condition
Of repair and maintenance adequate
to the requirements of the public and
secure upon reasonable terms the
necessary new capital for retinancing
and for making. provision for such
necessary improvements and extern
sions as may be in the interest of the
public.
Plea Against Reduction.
Your petitioner. therefore. states
that any reduction in the present
rates of fare would affect disastrously
the ability Of the petitioner to render
adequate and proper service to the
public, and if the present rates are
interfered with, either in amount or
uniformity, the result will be to so
reduce the revenues applicable by the
petitioner and it's affiliated companies
stitute a further confiscation of it's
and their properties. the only remedy
which would lie in the institution
within the District of Columbia OF
the zone system, or some other form
Of measured service"
The foregoing language means that
the w. r. & +. asks for continua-
| ton of present rates on the Capital
Traction lines also, and intimates
that if the commission finds it ai-
visable to change the rates of the
latter company. the zone system
should be adopted.
fed that if service on his lines is
completely restored by Friday, the
company will have lost $4,000 in re-
ceipts, or 81 per cent, due to the
storm.
Friday, Mr.. Ham said. the company
would suffer an additional loss of 10
per cent in pay passengers up to
February Is, due to delays in service
caused by traffic using the car tracks
Capital Traction Men Present.
Officials of the Capital Traction
Company were present at the open.
ing of the hearing, but up to noon had
not testified as to what rate of fare
they desire.
At the opening of the hearing VIII.
liam NICK. Clayton asked Chairman
Keller if it would be permissible tc
ask the companies in this rate case
what steps, if any, have been taken
since the last hearing toward q
Col. Keller replied that such an in.
quiry would be permitted at the close
of the hearing.
Mr.. Clayton also asked that the
of officials of the two companies
when it takes up the question OF
wages paid trainmen.
Col. Keller also agreed to that sug.
geStion from Mr.. Clayton.
Upon opening his testimony, VIII
liam F. Ham, president of the w. r
and E., introduced an exhibit showing
the operating income of the company
for 1921 as s1,O77365.07. showing a
return upon the fair value, as fixed
by the commission, of GIT per cent
! Using what the company regards as
it's fair value. the rate of return would
have been 3.42 per cent.
If the present rate of five tokens
for 35 cents had been in effect
throughout 1927 Mr.. Ham said, the
rate Of return based on the commits.
sion's valuation would have been 4.Sf
ner cent, and on the company's valua.
tion, 2.1 per cent.
Mr. Ham presented another exhibit
to show that If the present rate Of
fare is continued throughout the
calendar year 1922 the company's
income would be $764,313.5i, or 8
return on the commissions valuation
of 4.38 per cent.
Mr.. Hams financial statement fol
the calendar year 1921 showed thai
the following roads fell short OF
earning operating expenses by these
amounts: Georgetown and Tenley.
town. s12,307.59; Washington an,
CONTINUED, on Page12. Column 60