Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-11
CAR FARE HEARING
. WILL ENTER THIRD
WEEK TOMORROW
Glover Park Citizens Bus Ex-
tension Plea to Be
Taken Up. !"
W00DLEY ROAD LINE
CHANGE TO BE STUDIED
Capital fractions Answers to Hart
man Questions to Be Read
Into Record.

Public hearings on the Capital Trac-
don Co.'S request for an increase in
car fares in Washington will enter
their third week tomorrow morning.
When the hearing opens before the
Public Utilities Commission, however,
several matters not directly connected
With the issue will be discussed. and
the hearings proper may not get I'M
der way until late in the day.
These outside matters. all Of which
have been made a part Of the present
case BY the commission, are: Applica-
ton Of citizens Of Glover Park for an
extension OF the Burleith bus line Of
the Washington Railway l. Electric
Co. into their territory; requests of
citizens on Wisconsin avenue for an
improved schedule on the Wisconsin
+ avenue car line of the Washington
! Railway 4 Electric Co., and the petit
| ton of residents Of Woodley road for
a change in the route Of the Woodley
road bus line, operated by the WASH
to take it off Woodley road between
Twenty.Seventh street and Connectl-
cut avenue and place 1t on Cathedral
avenue instead.
Traction Case Nearly Complete.
The case of the Capital Traction Co.
IA nearly complete. Answers to long
series of questions propounded to wit
! neSSes of the company by Commits
sioner Harleigh H. Hartman, but which
! have not yet been answered, remain
to be read into the record. This prob
ably will be completed tomorrow or
Tuesday. Then will follow any cross
examination that might arise as re-
, siilt of the answers. The questions in
ouire in great detail into the company's
| charges to capital account, many OF
the questions having to do with items
as small as IS.
When the presentation Of the Capital
Traction Co.'S case Is completed the
Washington Railway Il Electric Co. will
submit its evidence. This will probably
I take another two weeks. This company
was made a party to the proceedings
by the commission, but later filed an
Independent petition for the same in
crease in fare on its lines as asked by
the Capital Traction Co. The new rate
asked is 10 cents cash, with four tokens
for 80 cents. The present rates are
Q cents cash, six tokens for 40 cents.
Position of Company.
The position Of the Capital Traction
Co., as developed by the hearings thus
far, is that 1t is entitled to fair" re-
turn on its valuation Of $26, 0o0,0 600:
that it Is at present making 3.6S per
cent return on this valuation; that this
Is not q fair return; that II the In
creased rates asked for are put into
eject It's revenue will increase so as
- that
this is still not a fair" return, but
that the company will be satisfied to
earn this until such time as transporta-
tion conditions improve.
Traffic on the company's lines has
been dwindling steadily since Decem-
Der 81, 1919. and although the rate OF
decrease is slowing of. President John
n. Hanna Of the company declined to
express an opinion as to whether the
bottom had been reached and the pros
poets for the future were OF an increase
In street car travel. He blamed the
loss principally on the growth Of the
popularity of privately owned auto
mobiles, and said further that WASH
ington has an unusually expensive
operating system. because Of the UNI
derground trolley used here. This sys-
tenn Is used nowhere else in the country
except In New York City.
One-man Car Is Discussed.
The one-n1an car made its appearance
n the discussion late last week, Mr..
Hanna saying that the chief operating
expense Of o street car system was
labor, and that one-man cars would
cut this down considerably. He did not
ask for the introduction of one-lnan
cars here, however, saying he was salts
fied the people Of Washington did not
want them.
Following the evidence of the street
ear systems will come the evidence Of
the washington Rapid Transit Co,
which operates buses on Sixteenth
street and elsewhere. This company
was made a party to the case over its
protest by the commission last week. on
motion Of William NICK. Clayton coun-
sci for the Federation Of Citizens Asso-
Citations.
Then viii come evidence on behalf Of
the commission, closing arguments OF
counsel, and the decision by the COM
mission.