Evening star., 1932-01-13
OPPOSE HOUSE BILL
TO MAKE CITY PAY
IN TRACK REMOVAL
Commissioners Reject Plan.
Say Federal Program
Caused Need.
DENY D. C. CONNECTED
WITH TRIANGLE WORK
Declare Treasury Department Re-
quested Clearing of Ground to
Garry Out New Construction.

The District Commissioners today
sent to Congress an adverse report or
a joint resolution giving the District
Supreme Court the power to assess
damages against the municipality o!
the District for abandonment Of the
tracks of the Mount Vernon, Alexan.
dria S1 Washington Railway. The rail-
way company will give up its trackage
north of Arlington Junction on Friday
replacing the street car service with
buSses.
The Commissioners sent to the House
District Committee a report on the sub
ject by Corporation Counsel William
w. Bride, which says, in part:
Need for ID. c. Denied.
"In 1880 the Federal Government
reached a point in its program of con-
struction in the Mal-Triangle area al
which it became necessary to occupy
the streets bearing the tracks of the
Mount Vernon, Alexandria 81 Washing
ton Railway. The Treasury Depart
ment, therefore, demanded the removal
of these tracks in the loop east o1
Fourteenth street exclusively for its
own purposes and wholly without re-
gard to any requirement of the gov
eminent of the District of Columbia.
Negotiations proceeded until the
Spring of 1881, when a proposal wa.
made by the Mount Vernon Railway
that it would vacate entirely it's oper-
ations in the District of Columbia upor
payment of an aggregate amount o
approximately 100000.
Participation in this negotiation was
definitely rejected by the Commission
ers for the reason that the abandonment
of the trackage Of the Mount Vernon
line was not sought by them and that
they were entirely willing that the line
should remain in operation. At no time
has any agency of the District of Co
hlmbia taken legal steps to compe
the abandonment of the trackage o1
the railway.
TT should be pointed out that in ad.
dition to the fact that this abandon
ment is entirely as a result of the Fed
eral building program, the removal OF
the tracks, with the resulting addition
of numerous buses by affiliated opera
ton would not result in a reduction OF
the revenue Of the District of Columbia
and serious congestion of the down
town streets not affected by the street
car operation"
The Commissioners, over the protest
of the Federation of Citizens Associa-
tions and other organizations interested
approved purchase of land for a colored
school at Rock Creek Church road and
Allison street northeast. Two lots will
be bought, one from l.. o. Wrenn and
Mamie B. Upton for $4,000 and one
from William S. Moreland for $2,880
The Board Of Education requested the
Commissioners to make the purchase.
Suit is Authorized.
Meanwhile, the Public Utilities Sub
committee of the House District Com
mittee decided to recommend passage
of a bill introduced by Representative
Smith Of Virginia, authorizing the rail
way company to sue the Federal Gov
ernment for damages as a result of
being forced to abondon its tracks.
The subcommittee amended the bill
so as to relieve the District govern
ment from any share in the payment
Of damages, which may be determined
by the courts, holding this was entirely
a Federal project.
Chairman Black of the subcommittee
emphasized the District government
properly should be excluded from what
ever damages may be allowed by the
courts.
The only opposition to the bill was
recorded by Representative Gasque of
South Carolina, a member of the Dis
trict Committee, but not of the subcom-
mittee which considered the bill. He
placed into the record a copy of the re-
port by the controller general and
argued that having enjoyed profits from
the franchise for 80 years, including
damages allowed when the tracks were
rerouted due to the erection of the
Municipal Building under an act of
Congress in 1902, no damages at all are
now due to the railway company.
Gardiner Booth, attorney for the rail-
way, said the company would be salts
fed with damages not to exceed $780,
900. He emphasized that the Public
Utilities Commission has denied the ap-
plication of the railroad company to
run buSseS into Washington from Alex
andria Junction. The application was
for route that would cross PennSyl-
vania avenue
Corporation Counsel Bride said he
understood the District Commissioners
would persistently oppose any applica-
ton for bus route into the congeSted
area north of Pennsylvania avenue.