Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-19
Washington Railway & EIec-
trio President Cites Com
petitive Routes.
VAL LUATION FIGURE
CREATES ARGUMENT
Traction Official, Hartman, Bowen
and Clayton Clash Over
significance.

The Washington Railway & Electric
Co.'S petition for an increase in fare,
occupied the attention of the Public
Utilities Commission as the fourth week
of the hearings on the carfare case
opened today. The company'S first wit
ness was its president, William F. Ham,
who, after qualifying as an expert rail-
way man, entered testimony to the
effect that the valuation of his COM
pany was $19,210,899.39.
Most of the morning was given over
to arguments among Mr.. Ham, his
counsel, S. r. Bowen. Commissioner
Harleigh H. Hartman and William NICK.
Clayton, counsel for the Federation Of
Citizens Associations. as to the exact
significance of the figure.
The figure was reached by adding to
the commissions valuation of the COM
pany'S properties In 1914 the net cost
of additions and betterments to date.
Mr.. Ham stated that this must not be
taken as the company's own estimate of
its value and Mr.. Clayton endeavored
to have this remark stricken from the
record.
Equal Increase Is Urged.
After argument, however. Mr.. Clayton
Withdrew the motion and the figure now
Is in the record, with the qualification
that it is not offered as evidence would
be in valuation case.
Mr.. Hams early testimony was di-
rected to the proposition that his COM
pany and the Capital Traction Co.
are direct competitors and that any
fare increase granted to one company
should be granted to the other or there
would be disastrous consequences to
both.
The Capital Traction Co. originally
asked for the increase, but Mr.. Hams
company later joined and asked for
the same increase. The rates asked
for are 10. cents cash and 4 tokens
for 80 cents. The rates now in force
are 8 cents cash and tokens for 40
cents.
Bowen Calls Ham.
s. r. Bowen, vice president and gen.
eral counsel of the Washington Railway
6s Electric and the Washington Inter-
urban Railway Co., announced that he
was ready to proceed with the presenta-
ton of evidence as soon as the heariNg
opened this morning. ell called as his
first witness William F. Ham, president
of the Washington Railway g. Electric
Co.
Responding to questions by counsel
for the company, Mr.. Ham told in con-
siderable detail of his experience as a
street railway accountant: He said ne
had been in the street railway business
since 1895. Prior to that time he was
employed by steel company, which
since has been absorbed by the United
States Steel Corporation, and he was
particularly connected with the sale of
steel rails to electric railway companies.
He told of his first experience with a
street railway company in Brooklyn,
N. Y.
Mr. Ham said he came to Washington
in 1899 as controller of the Washing
ton Traction Electric Railway Co. and
later went with the Washington Rail-
way & Electric Co., when it took over
the former concern and its subsidiary
companies. He was elected president
of the Washington Railway &, Electric
Co. in 1918.
Mr.. Ham said that he had been a
member of a committee of street rail-
way accountants all over the country
which promulgated a classification of
accounts, which was adopted by the
street railways of the country, and has
been used as the basis of the account
ing systems adopted by various public
utility commissions and by the Inter-
state Commerce Commission. From
1905 to 1912 he said he was chairman
of the classification committee OF the
American Street Railway Accountants
Association, which co-operated with
the Interstate Commerce Commission
in making interpretations OF street rail-
way accounting systems.
When Mr.. Ham had COMPLETED this
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