Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-04
Memher Of the Associated Press.
Another Utility MIDDLE.


Washington's tRlergetic Public Utili-
ties Commission must by now have
come to the conclusion that all roads
lead to the courts. Important deci-
sions of the commission relating to
street car fares. gas company owner
ship, taxicab regulations: in short, any
policy that reaches beyond mere mat
tiers of routine is taken out of the
commissions hands and rather hope
lessly enmeshed in litigation. Appeal
to the courts is not to be denied, but
II the Public Utilities Commission is
to function as a regulatory body in
stead of a rubber stamp, it IS high
time that Congress give serious study
to local utility matters as a whole,
with the idea of enacting clarifying
and def1nitive legislation.
The latest setback suffered by the
Public Utilities Commission concerns
its control over interstate buses IN
the matter of routes to be followed
In the city of Washington. Surely
there should be no disputing the right
of the commission to assign routes and
see that they are followed. But what
happens when the case is put to the
test2
Some time ago the commission plant
ed inspectors for five days along a route
that buses of the Nevin line were fol-
lowing to pick up hotel passengers.
For the five days the buses were found
to be following route not specified by
the commission, and with such clear-cut
evidence the commission fined the COM
pany 5000 for each tnfraction OF its
rules. The company had the privilege
Of appealing the fine and took the case
to Municipal Court. A few days age
the Municipal Court dismissed the case,
the general view of the court being that
the municipality had failed TO show
that the buses carried passengers from
point to point within the District as
centended in the allegation. There was
apparently some doubt as to proof that
the busses were common carriers, though
what else they could have been is q
must leave to the lawyers.
The suit has been appealed and is
now pending before the Court of APP
peals.
This case is vitality important be-
cause Of its general bearing on the
question Of bus terminal. The pre-
vious personnel Of the Public Utilities
Commission held that If a terminal
were built, it would order the buses to
that terminal, thus assuring the neces-
sary patronage. The present members
of the commission have Informally
taken the same view. A municipal bus
terminal is apparently out of the ques-
ton. But if the bus companies them
selves, or private enterprise, will build
q terminal, the commission will CO.
operate to the extent of seeing that
buses are routed to it, thus forcing
their use Of the facilities provided.
But If the commission has no power
to route interstate buses, the question
of a bus terminal becomes more in
velved than ever.
It is hopelessly tangled now. There
are six downtown bus terminals, five
Of them so located that the cumber-
some vehicles occupy curbstone space
in congested centers. Three of the
terminals are on Pennsylvania avenue,
another is on Fourteenth street above
Pennsylvania avenue, another at 1886
New York avenue and another at the
W., 3. & A. Railway station. The BUSES,
or some of them, use more than one
terminal. Others visit downtown hotels
before starting their runs.
The Government building program
will put two, probably three, OF these So
called terminals out of business entirely
They must seek new locations. At the
same time traffic congestion in down.
town Washington will become steadily
worse as the center of -ofice
population settles south of the Avenue
between Sixth and Fifteenth.
New bus lines enter Washington
every year. In addition to the lines that
feed the suburbs and nearby cemmuni-
ties, there has been rapid growth In the
trunk lines that connect far distant
cities. The problem Of housing these
vehicles of the street and routing them
through less congested traff1 lanes is
net going to solve itself any more than
the problem of getting the railroads of
the Mall solved itself. 1t requires
definite and vigorous action. A few years
ago the bus industry was an attractive
hnd interesting infant. But it has grown
up. In Washington it must be made to
At into the general scheme of things in
the interest of the public, whether or
net the bus companies are enthusiastic
A perverse element of patronage is
s~a