Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-10
CHAUFFEURS PLAN
FIGHT ON HARLAND
Present Proposal for Re-
movaI of Traffic Head and
Reorganization of Bureau.

Union taXicab drivers and chauf-
feurs today drew up their ranks for a
fight for the removal from Office of
Traffic Director w. H. Harland and his
assistant, M. o. Eldridge, and reorgan-
ization of the entire Traffic Bureau.
Today they presented their PROPOSE
ton to the District Commissioners, the
chairmen of the House and Senate Dis
trict committees, the chairmen of the
subcommittee or appropriations for the
District and the Federation OF Citizens
Associations.
Charles H. Lettow, chairman of the
legislative committee of Taxicab Driv-
ers and Chauffeurs Union, No. 1863. de-
clared that he also would seek support
of the Central Labor Union.
Bare Complaint on Expense.
Basing their complaint against the
Traffic Bureau upon the contention that
the expense of maintaining the Office
of director of traffic is waste of
money of the taxpayers of the District"
and withholding what was described as
a long list of complaints against Mr..
Harland and his Office force, which
they say they will present at the prop
er time" the legislative committee of
the union offers plan for "construc-
tive" reorganization of the system Of
handling traffic in the District.
In report to the union, which was
sent today also to the various authori-
ties interested, the legislative committee
states:
1.-THE legislative committee of the
TaXicab Drivers and Chauffeurs' Local
Union, No. 1859, have interested them
selves in the cost of maintaining the
traffic department and have come to the
conclusion that there is a waste of the
taxpayers money used in paying the
salaries of many of the employees of the
department, from the director down.
Therefore, we are convinced that the
act Of Congress which created the office
of the director of traffic, and provided
for the civilian employees under him,
does not serve the purpose for which 1t
was enacted.
Makeup of Traffic Department.
Gas constituted at present the Traffic
employees: One director, one assistant
director, one office engineer, nine ci-
william clerks, one messenger and one
Storekeeper. Under well-defined plan
these positions shown below could be
abolished, and result in eliminating the
following expenditures:
One director at. observation-disclosures SIS, 800
one assistant ulreCCOr at. 4,4O0
One office engineer at ...... $500
Two civilian clerks ($1, $50 each). 1920
One storekeeper at. 1,948
One messenger at ............ 1850
Total amount ...............$1 SIS, 1928
ITO offset this would require re-
organization of the present police force
of the bureau. BY making the inspec-
tor in charge of the bureau take care
of the work of the traffic director
(Which work he is now doing to a great
extent, as the records will show; plac-
ing a captain in charge of the person.
mel of the bureau as far as the handling
of the enforcement of the traffic regu-
lations go, and adding one lieutenant
who could easily do the work now done
by the assistant director who handles
the revocation and restoration of per-
mits and certain minor complaints
(these are usually given to the police
to investigate, anyway, the total in
crease in the salaries of the Traffic
Bureau, as far as the Police Depart
ment is concerned, would amount to
about 81 900 year. This would mean
a gross saving of about $4,000 year
to the taxpayer"