The Washington herald., 1922-04-26
House Committee Mem
bers Would Block Con-
troll by Car Lines.
HA MN Err DEMANDS
EQUAL COMPETITION
People Should Decide
Transportation Choice,
Says Keller.

trict, members of the House Dis
trict Committee announced yester-
day that a bill was being drafted
which would provide for the en-
franchisement of the Washington
Transit Company as the first step
toward placing the motor bus on
an equal footing with the street
car.
The bill will be introduced in
the Senate and House some time
today it was stated
Representative William c. Ham
mer. of the House District Com
mittee and an active member of
the subcommittee investigating
the public utilities Of the District,
declared that he viewed the pro-
posed purchase OF the motor busses
by the street car companies 81 the
District with considerable alarm.
Points to Ferry Boat Loss.
1t. would not be fai rto impusn
the motives of the tractiop com
pauies in attempting to operate
motor busscs in conjunction with
Their street ears and It would not
." entirely fair TO the motor bus
'n'uStry &" ASSUME thar the street
'"'T companies would take the same
interest in the advancement Of the
''Hf that they would in the case Of
u street car Representative
't"mmrr poiHtCd or-t
When Terry boats were in oper.,.
- between Alexandria and Was;,-
"'.l''n u was possible to make tn.
Hifrc trip for 15 cents. Later
W. the street car cOmpanIes 60
''srd the stock Of the ferry bost
80 ""7ny th" boats were allowed IN
10y and now the trim tn Aex-
Il costs more than 80 cents -
]! 7'"cr declared.
-;nmcr Recalls Tc,tim,nx
t,p-csentatiye Hammer referred
L'e recent hearings OF the House
ri't Committee when the Dis
''t commissioners appeared he
I"Fe the committee to answer uues-
t,"hs IN regard to the operation of
N"N SAAftA car companies
AZ that time I put the question
70 Col kutz, then chairman of tho
Iuollc Utilities Commission. Can
these motor bus companies secure
franchises which will permit them
to enter into competition with tho
street car COmpanies?' They can
was the answer Col. Kutz made :.
Hammer said
NO voice was raised in protest
against the motor bus at that time
and the mere mention of il as =,
possibility only solicited a smile
Traction officials who appeared he
fore the committee passed lightly
over the question of motor busses
and until now, when the motor bus
in the City Of Washington has
proved to be a success at a financial
risk to its promoters. it would NOT
even be considered by the street
car compspies as an auxiliary" he
insisted.
Asks Equal Competition.
Representative Hammer stated
that he was confident OF the sup
port Of his colleagues in his at
tempt to get fair play for the bus
companies.
Representative Oscar Keller.
member of the House District
Committee. declared that there
was no reason why the motor has
companies should be Disseminated
against. and believed a franchise
should be issued to the Washing
ton Rapid Transit Company as
readily as II had been to the street
car companies.
"The motor bus can hold its own
with the street car as a carrier and
should be allowed to compete with
the street car as long as II does
not use the same streets. There is
no reason why the bus should not
be allowed to parallel the lines of
the street car companies, however"
Keller said
Foeht Sees fractions Going
" one or the other is the pref
erable character of TRANSPORTATION
the people will quickly decide the
issue IL the companies are allowed
to compete on an equal basis The
only way to find out which the peo-
pie favor is to allow them to make
the choice and they are entitled to
that choice" Keller emphasized.
Chairman Focht, of the House
District Committee, declared before
leaving the city that the time was
not far distant when the motor bus
would replace the street car in
Washington, and he fully expected
to see the day when there Add
be no street car tracks on PennsyI-
vania avenue.
Il do not think IL would be fair
nor just to deprive the men who
have risked their money in the pro-
motion OF the motor bus in WASH
ington of their tust reward. The
traction companies had the oppor-
tunity to exploit the motor bus and
refused II. 1t was suggested TO
them upon various occasions, but
they insisted 1t would not pay and
refused to consider its possibilities
Enterprising washingtonians have
now demonstrated that with proper
management and courteous service
IL can be made to pay,
ITO allow the street car COM
panies to step in and annex these
properties at this time and under
these circumstances would be bad
business and . bad precedent" he
contendsa