Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-07
TAKOMA 5-M|NUTE
CARS TO Be URGED
ChiIIum Heights Joins Manor
Park Move for improved
Service.

The Chillum Heights Citizens As
ISOLATION, at meeting held at the
Joseph r. Keene School, Blair and
Rock Creek Church roads, last night,
initiated plans to combine with the
Manor Park Citizens Association in eff
forts to compel the Capital Traction
Co. to operate its Takoma surface
cars on tlve-minute schedule with ex-
press service from the downtown sec
ton during rush hours. and to install
double tracking from Fourteenth street
and Colorado avenue to the end of the
line in Takoma Park to facilitate SerV-
ice.
A committee on public utilities was
instructed to negotiate with the COM
mittee on this problem of the Manor
Park body, and it is understood plans
to petition the Public Utilities Commits
sion to aid in remedying this situation
would be jointly made by the aSsocia-
tions, provided it was agreeable to the
Manor Park group.
The service as now operated was Sc
verely criticized by H. j. Overman, a
member of the utilities committee of
the association and chairman of the
committee on law and legislation. Mr.
Overman is brother of Senator Over
man of North Carolina.
On Paying Basis.
1.-THE Capital Traction Co. in its
plea for increased fare rates" said
Mr.. Overman, reported that the Takoma
line was the only part of their system
that, was operated on a paying basis
II such is the case, then the least we
can ask Is adequate service on this
branch. At present, during the rush
hours, 1t is seldom that more than one
car out of a dozen travelling north on
Fourteenth street is Takoma bound
And these are generally crowded to
capacity, mostly with persons who travel
only as far as upper Fourteenth street,
and many that transfer onto other
lines. believe that an express serv-
ice without transfer privilege would
prove an adequate remedy for the in
tolerable conditions that now exist.
Surely the many patrons of Takoma
and vicinity who depend upon this line
for transportation to and from the city
are entitled to some consideration at
the hands of the car company"
The Chillum Heights Association
went on record last night as favoring
the passage Of the -Zihlman bill
for the election by popular vote of a
board Of education for the District of
Columbia. At a previous meeting It
had Endorsed the Capper- Zihlman bill
providing for free text books in the
Junior and senior high schools of the
District.
Safety Of Children.
The proposal to transfer the seventh
and eighth grades of the Keene School
to the Mcfarland Junior High School
in February brought up the question Of
the safety of the children on the
streets they are compelled to traverse
in order to attend this school. The
matter of providing a sidewalk on Ken
nedy street between Blair road and
Concord avenue so that school chill
dren would not be compelled to walk
in the roadway, thus endangering their
lives, was discussed. It was decided
to have a committee endeavor to get
prompt action on this proposal, and
failing a result in that direction the
completion Of the sidewalk on Longfellow
street which runs parallel to Kennedy,
would be sought.
The committee on schools and edu-
cation Of the association was instructed
to see Senator Capper and Representa-
tive Simmons in regard to an item
which was appropriated for in the five
year building program for the District
which called for an addition to the
Joseph r. Keene School. No action
has thus far been taken and the mem
bers of the association decided to in
quire into the matter through the COM
mittees of the Senate and House.
E. M. Barry. vice president Of the
association. presided at the meeting last
night in the absence of Thomas Joy,
president. A. w. Cline, secretary, was
at his post.