Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-06
Passenger Loss Laid
To Car Fare Raise
IA the rditnr nf rhe stnr.

TO the Editor OF The star:
1t is interesting to note that the re-
port of the chief accountant OF the
Public Utilities Commission In regard
to the loss of passengers in 1890 by the
local traction companies bears out more
fully than was anticipated the pre-
dictions made by numerous individ-
uals when the 10-cent fare first went
into effect. The extra cents has, of
course. temporarily checked the down.
ward trend of their revenues, but it
seems strange that the officials of the
two lines should think that the people
of Washington would accept, without
protest, a higher charge for the brand
Of service given here. Perhaps the
executives of the two companies think
that they have reached the low water
mark at laSt-that conditions simply
cannot become worse. If so, they are
seriously deceiving themselves, and I
would advise them to be warned by the
example of Berlin, Germany.
Unless the service in this city i'm
proves, with a consequent increase in
earnings, it is quite likely that we will
soon see one of the three following take
place: % A request from the Capital
Traction Co. to be permitted to operate
one-man cars (Which should be refused,
If they consider remodeling their old
cars for this type service; 90 requests
from either company for the abandon
ment Of certain sections of track and
the substitution of buses (Which should
be refused; 90 receivership or munich
pal operation. Matters are rapidly ap-
preaching q crisis; let's watch the
future developments of the current
| year.
In the meantime, the attention of
| the Public Utilities Commission is here
with directed toward the disgraceful
condition Of number Of street cars
| operated in this city. On the Chevy
! Chase car line, for example, there is a
! group of cars, numbered l to 20 in
| elusive, which were constructed over
20 years ago by the Cincinnati Car Co.
! These cars, which were not even
! equipped with permanent headlights
until 6 years ago, have long since
outlived their usefulness, and senility
now makes them a positive menace to
| public safety. They should be removed
! from the streets at once, before a seri-
GUS accident occurs. 1t is no exag-
! geration to state that when the speed
of these cars approaches the 20mile
| limit their floors heave about like the
| surface of an oily sea, while they creak
| and bang horribly. Numerous COM
| plants have already been made about
them, but as yet no action has been
taken, nor even decided upon. Any
mishap involving one of these cars, by
the way, ought to be thoroughly
investigated.
| Perhaps the Capital Traction Co. may
| plead that it has not abandoned them
! because it has no money with which
to purchase new equipment. With
| what, then, may I ask, are they buying
! the BUSES they are constantly putting
| into service, such as, for instance, the
33-passenger parlor-car coach delivered
| to them several months ago? Some
might say, ooh, well, a street car
| costs a whole lot more than a bus!"
But does it? The price of street cars
| ranges from about $4,000 to $4,000
| Getty type), while that of buses is
! from around $4,000 to $4,000. You
may draw your own conclusions.
All of wha. has been said above may
also be very aptly applied to many of
the cars of the Washington Railway &
Electric Co, such as, let us say,
| Mes. 20 to 80 on the Eleventh street
and New York avenue lines; which
cars belong to group of about 100,
constructed 'once upon a time" by the
j. c. Brill Car Co. of Philadelphia
WILLIAM DOYLE JOHNSON.