Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-08
REMOVAL OF RAILS
| DUE AFTER FARLEY
W|THU.S. MONDAY
Alexandria Line Is Expected
to Tear Up Own Tracks
as Voluntary Act.
TREASURY O. K. SLATED
ON BILL TO REPAY LOSS
Amicable Settlement Looms in Row
Over Clearing Of Triangle
and Street Closing.

The problem resulting from unsuc-
cessful efforts of the Federal Govern
ment to move tracks of the Mount Ver-
ron, Alexandria & Washington Rail-
way out of the section between Four
teenth street and its terminus at
Twelfth and D streets is expected to be
solved Monday at a conference among
interested parties.
The company probably will agree to
take out the tracks voluntarily in ex-
change for a promise of the Treasury
Department to support bill at the next
session of Congress to pay it for yield
ing its franchise rights and for the cost
Of physical property lost.
Negotiations have been under way for
some time, under the guidance OF AS
Sistant Secretary Of the Treasury Ferry
K Heath. The Federal Government
wants to remove the tracks so that 1t
may close certain streets in the area,
on which the tracks now run. and pro-
coed with its building program. All
other utilities now have been removed
from the streets.
Injunction Case Pending.
There is pending in District Supreme
Court petition for an injunction to
restrain the Secretary of the Treasury
from interfering in any way with the
tracks. The case has not been argued
and the parties hope to reach an ami
cable solution. The railway corpora
ton claims the right to be compensated
for abandoning its tracks and the
Treasury has no appropriation from
which to make such compensation.
Abandoning of the tracks almost in
Ryyi f0h yri1l -
car service between Washington and
Alexandria. The Public Utilities Com
mission has refused to grant the COM
pany permission to bring its cars across
Pennsylvania avenue at Fourteenth
street and the company is unwilling
to stop its cars anywhere south Of
Fourteenth street.
Line Faces Big Outlay.
The contest over the tracks has been
carried en- for months. The District of
Columbia, on request of the Federal
Government, served notice on the rail-
way to remove its tracks by April |.
Later the time was extended to July !.
The railway ignored both notices The
railways position is that its charter,
granted by Congress, does not reserve to
Congress the right to amend or termi-
nate the franchise. and that the Treas
ury Department cannot do what Con-
gress cannot do without just compensa-
ton.
An effort to cure the situation was in
the making at the last session of Con-
gress when the draft Of bill emerged
from the corporation counsel's ONCE
calling for payment to the company OF
100000 If it would remove its tracks.
Since this called for the payment of
100000 out of the treasury of the
District, however. the Commissioners
pigeonholed the bill, believing that the
District was in no way responsible for
the fact that the company was being
called upon to give up its tracks.
If the company decides not TO COM
promise. but to insist on it; rights it
faces large expenditures in connection
with the new track work on the High
way Bridge at the point where it is
being rebuilt to span the George Wash
ington Memorial Boulevard and also
for rebuilding its tracks south of
Water street, which are reported by
engineers in the Highway Department
and in the Public Utilities Commission
as being in very poor condition.