The Washington herald., 1922-04-25
FOCHT ATTACKS
CONTROL BY
TRACTION Lines
Commission Favors Rail.
way Direction of New
Motor Routes.
HOUSE MAY ACT
Keller Says Auto Transporta.
tion Temporary; Ham,
mer Opposes.
HOUSE MAY ACT

Indication by the Public Utilities
Commission yesterday that il would
give street railway companies FIRST
opportunity to obtain bus line fran
chises in the District drew FIRE
quickly from the House District
Committee which. through Chair
man Focht. stated that IL would
unalterably oppose any attempt on
the part of the Commission TO
throttle the motor bus.
II is understood that the COM
mission favors giving the street
railway companies the first oppor-
tunity to acquire bus franchises
oyer routes where bus transporta-
tion Is thought to be necessary. IL
is held that the street railway COM
panies, having established them
selves must be protected from
competition in areas where they
have rail lines and must he per-
mitted to make bus extensions as
a preliminary step to future rail
extensions.
Keller Points TO Future.
Col. Charles Keller. chairman OF
the Public Utilities Commission.
stated yesterday that busses were
not to be preferred to street cars
and that their use was only tenn
porary until street car lines could
take their place.
He emphasized that action IN re-
gard to busses would rot be retro
active and that the busses now in
operation would be permitted to
continue operations. What decision
would be taken in regard TO the
proposed Rhode Island avenue line
that will run from Rhode Island
avenue and North Capitol street to
Potomac Park and TO Eighth street
and Pennsylvania avenue was not
indicated.
House 10 Act.
In order not to ne charged with
refusing permits on grounds that
the bus lines compete with street
railway lines. the commission has
stated that they will pass on each
petition on a basis of convenience
and necessity"
Members of the House District
Committee who have followed the
different phases of the traction sit
uation in Washington since the in
ception of the motor bus. declared
yesterday that they would feeI
constrained to act in the event that
the motor bus was discriminateo
against.
Chairman Focht. OF the House
District Committee. insisted thai
the past year had served to prov,
that every argument advance
against the motor bus by those VIII
were hostile to this means of trans
portation had been groundle
The motor bus is not fiction OF
fancy but a fact that has been wei
established and can no more be re-
moved as the inevitable surface
transport than the tide can be
swept back with broom" he
said
Hammer Confers on Plans.
Representative William F. HAM
mer. of the committee. author of a
bill to repeal the act which created
the Public Utilities Commission and
all laws promulgated by that body.
announced that the members of the
committee were following the sit
uation very closely and that he had
been in conference with several
members of Congress who were of
the opinion that the street car COM
panies were receiving protection at
the expense of other corporations
which were equally entitled to a
fair chance.
Chairman Focht declared that IL
he had his way there would be no
street car tracks on Pehnsylvania
avenue and he hoped and fully ex-
pected TO see the day when motor
busses would loop the Capital and
return to the heart Of the city via
Union Station.
The street. cars are passe and
have lost popular approval. tn.
fac THAT the motor bus has made
inroads on the business of the car
companies proves this fact. Peo-
pie who are offered a choice of the
two methods of transportation are
beginning to select the motor bus"