Evening star., 1925-11-13
W.R T.MAY CUT OUT
SILVER SPRING LINE
Would Abandon Service if Lo-
cal Passengers Are
Barred.

The Washington Rapid Transit Co.
will abandon the motor bus line it
recently established between Silver
Spring. Md, and Sixteenth and
Buchanan streets unless the Public
Utilities Commission allows the
busses to operate all the way down
Sixteenth street and carry local pas
senGers also.
This declaration came unexpectedly
from Conrad H. Syme, attorney for
the transit company, at the opening
of a public hearing before the Com
mission at the District Building today
on the question of permitting the
Silver Spring busses to continue
down Sixteenth street to the Lincoln
Memorial, but only for the purpose
OF carrying interstate passengers.
Ask Local Passengers.
The transit company has pending
before the commission another appli
cation for permission to carry local
passengers within the District on the
Silver Spring busses. That question
was not included in the notice for the
hearing today, and Commissioner
Rudolph announced at the outset that
discussion today would have to be con-
fined to interstate operation of the
busses to the Lincoln Memorial.
After Commissioner Rudolph had
made this statement Attorney Syme
announced that the transit company
would withdraw its application to run
from Buchanan street to the Lincoln
Memorial as an interstate line and
would abandon the Silver Spring serv-
ice entirely unless its other applica-
tion-to pick up local passengers with
in the Districts granted.
This withdrawal of the interstate
application disposed of the only Ques-
tion which was listed for hearing to-
day, and the meeting came to an
abrupt close a few minutes after it
had started.
Sixteenth Street Extension.
Just before adjournment Conlnis-
sioner Rudolph explained that the
commission still has pending before 1t
to be considered in executive session
the application to allow the Silver
Spring busses to pick up local passen-
gers along Sixteenth street and also
petition from the Capital Traction
Co. to extend it's existing bus line
from the northern end OF Sixteenth
street all the way down that thorough
fare to Potomac Park and into the
businesses section.
questioned AFTER the nearing as to
when the Rapid Transit Co. would
discontinue the Silver Spring bus line
If 1t Is not given permission to pick
up local passengers within the Dis
trict, Mr.. Syme said he had advised
the company to stop the hne immedi-
ately and re-establish it if the per-
mission sought should be granted later.
The statement which Mr. Syme
read to the commission follows:
sAt least 800 citizens residing on
Sixteenth street between Buchanan
and the District line petitioned the
commission to grant to the Washing
ton Rapid Transit Co. the right to op-
crate its Silver Spring line as an in
| tra-State line between the District
| line and the Lincoln Memorial
I'm response to this request the
company applied for permission to SO
! operate these busses. The practical
! operation Of this line up to this time
has demonstrated the fact that this
! service cannot be given to the citi-
/ Zens of the District and Maryland
| unless these busses are operated as
intra-State carriers between the Dis
| trict line and the Lincoln Memorial