Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-20
REROUT|NG SURVEY
f. OF CAR LINES GOING
ON At RAPID RATE
Hartman Refuses Comment
on Merger Letter, but Dis
plays Route Plan.
BLUEPRINT INDICATES
OWNERSHIP OF RAILS
Order Hints Higher Fares May Not
Be Granted Without Re-
valuation.

While there was no comment forth
coming today from the Public Utilities
Commission in connection with the
commissions letter to the Capital Irac-
ton Co. yesterday taking issue with the
company's reasons for not resuming the
merger negotiations now, there were
indications that the investigation into
re-routing of street cars Is proceeding
at rapid pace.
,, Commissioner Harleigh II. Hartman
declined to discuss the statement in the
letter that the commission IVES not sat-
isfed with the merger plan as approved
by the Senate District committee in a
Senate resolution. He said that the
commission has definite objections to
certain of the features of the resolu-
ton. burt that if it had intended to
make them public IT this time they
would have been Incorporated IN the
letter to the Capital Traction Co.
Exhibits Prints of Lines.
Mr.. Hartman exhibited blueprint
showing all the car lines in the city
which he had made last night. The
blueprint indicates the ownership Of
the various stretches of rail, and Mr.
thing working from the plan in con-
nection with series of traffic counts to
decide which line should be changed
and exactly where the changes should
be made. He did not drop any hints
as to what changes he has in mind.
A hint that the Capital Traction Co.'S
petition for higher fares may not be
granted without revaluation was seen in
an order of the commission today call
NJ M T, T
Bradbury Heights bus line, the only
other utility which has pending before
the commission petition for an in
crease of fare. The valuation of this
line will be the first bus valuation in
the District of Columbia. A start was
made last year in valuing the prop
erty of the Washington Rapid Transit
Co, but the valuation was never COM
pleted.
Order Valuation of Line.
Mr.. Altman recently reduced fares
on his line voluntarily from four tokens
for so cents to 10 tokens for 81. At the
end of an experimental period he asked
the commission permission to raise his
rates back to the old schedule, but the
commission ordered the present rates
Kept in effect until September l and to-
day further ordered complete valua-
ton Of the property to be made.
In letter dispatched to Mr.. Altman
the commission wrote:
Having decided to evaluate the
property OF your company within the
District OF Columbia, used and useful In
public carrier service, you are hereby
directed to furnish the commission with
the following data, which is to be done
at your very earliest convenience.
Ihe commission would like to have
an inventory of your properties used in
rendering service within the District of
Columbia, listing the property by ap-
propr1ate units and indicating as to
each whether it is owned or used. under
lease: contract or other arrangement.
please give us. too a statement OF
your actual investment to date. show
ing whether the investment was made
IN money. securities or property"
Text of Patrick's Letter.
The text of the letter to the Capital
Traction Co., which was signed by Mai.
Gen. Mason M. Patrick, as chairman,
is as follows:
Gentlemen:
The receipt OF your letter Of the
sixth instant is acknowledged. The COM
mission notes your unWillingness to
resume merger negotiations and to sub
nit new form of merger agreement
until Congress shall have moved In the
matter.
THE commission cannot agree that
action on the part of the companies, at
present, would be futile, nor that in
default of such action Congress may
be expected to fix the terms under
which voluntary merger may be
brought about
Furthermore, the commission could
not approve, in its entirety, the modified
agreement as set forth in the form of
the amended joint resolution to which
you refer in your letter.
THE commission, therefore, must also
disagree with your expressed opinion
that the submission of a new form of
merger agreement for its consideration
would delay rather than expedite the
accomplishment of the desired end"