Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-24
PUBLIC MUST BEAR
STUDENT FARE CUT,
GEN. PATRICK SAYS
Would Have to Make Loss
Good if Plan Should Be
Adopted, He Asserts.

The cost of the proposal to provide
free or reduced fares for school children
must be borne by either the street car
passengers or the public as a whole,
Maj. Gen. Mason M. Patrick, chairman
of the Public Utilities Commission, adj
yised the House District committee to-
day during the hearing on the street
car merger bill.
Gen. Patrick, in a statement which
he read to the committee, pointed out
that to lower fares for school children
would reduce the earnings of the street
car companies and that "in simple JUS
tice to them" the loss must be made up
by either raising street car fares for
adults or by general taxation.
Since street car passengers, as q
class, he said, probably could not bear
the additional burden, the alternate
proposal charging the loss to the tax
payers would have to be adopted. If
school children are to be carried free
on the street cars, the commission
chairman stated, legislation to cover the
tax provisions should be enacted.
Cites Merger Arguments.
In his statement. Gen. Patrick also
cited arguments why the proposed
merger Of the washington Railway a.
Electric Co. and the Capital Traction
Co. should be of benefit to those COM
panieS. He said the companies must
choose between continuing separate and
collecting the additional $4,000 per
year which they estimate would result
from the increased fare they are asking,
or merging and realizing q saving In
operating costs, estimated at one time
by the head OF one Of the companies
at about $1,000,000 per year.
Just one word about free rides or
reduced fares for school children" Gen.
Patrick said. by such legislation the
revenues Of the companies viii be more
or less reduced. In simple Justice to
them this loss must be made I'D and
this can be done in only two ways
either by authorizing higher fare for
adults or by general taxation.
THE street car riders probably are
the least able as class, to bear addi-
tional financial burdens. Furthermore.
the lesser fares for school children
probably will benefit many others who
do not ride street cars. Therefore, 1t
may be argued that this charge should
be borne by the general tax paying
public.
Tax Now 100000 Yearly.
eff this view is accepted, it will not
be at all difficult to provide accordingly
AS the law now stands, the street car
companies must pay into the District
OF Columbia treasury 4 per cent of their
ANIMAL
panteS, this 4 per cent tax is now sorne-
thing like 100000 a year.
"A provision may be inserted in this
proposed legislation reducing this tax
70 or per cent or some such figure.
or authorizing its reduction by the
amount Of the actual loss of revenue
and additional expense to the street
railway companies, this to be ascertain
ed and certified by the Public Utilities
Commission.
1T is repeated that if school chill
dren are to be carried free. some such
legislation is imperative"
Gen. Patrick told the committee that
I'm view Of the attitude of the repre-
Sentatives Of the street railways and the
statements made before this Commit
tee" a question has arisen as to whether
there would be any hope of a merger
If there is retained in the bill the
provision for continuance Of existing
fares for a two-year period.
These statements have been made
while discussing proposed legislation !"
Gen. Patrick stated. IF, in spite of the
objections offered, this legislation is en-
acted into law, there will be different
state of affairs. The street railways
must realize it is an accomplished fact
They must choose whether it is better
for them to remain separate and 10
collect from the car riders the addi-
estimate will be the result Of the higher
fare they are demanding, or to merge
and realize in time the savings which
the president of one of the companies
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