Evening star., 1932-04-10
TRANSIT MERGER
ASKED IN REPORT
GIVEN TO HOUSE
District Committee Favors
Unification of Three
Local Companies.
TRANSFERS HEAD LIST
OF BENEFITS CITED
Findings Presented by Black In.
clude Improvement in Street
Car and Bus Service.

representative Black, Democrat. New
YORK, submitted to the House Yesterday
AFTERNOON the report from the District
Connlttee recommending favorable ac-
tlon on the joint resolution to bring
ABOUT unlf1catiOn of the railway and
DuS lines operated in the District of
Columbia and adjacent States by the
CapltaI Traction Co., the Washing
Ton railway q Electric Co. and the
Washington Rapid Transit Co.
Mr.. Black said the obvious public ad-
vantage of the unification NAV be sum-
married as follows:
Il. AT present, with two street car
companies, charges are made for trans
ferS from one line to another and in
some instances no transfers at all are
obtainable. Under the resolution, there
would be immediate free transfers be-
tween all connecting street car lines,
and in addition transfers between street
car lines and busses ad between bus
lines shall be granted upon reasonable
terms and conditions TO be fixed by the
Public Utilities Commission.
80. Better service. The National
Capital Park and Planning Commission,
after an extensive study Of street car,
bus and traffic conditions, emphasized
this in its last annual report"
Eliminating Turns Possible.
The commission said, "The first ini-
tial study of the commission has indi-
Gated the possibility, by building ap-
proXimately miles Of new track and
abandoning some 16 miles of old track
which now has to be maintained, Of
eliminating 108 right-hand turns and
100 left-hand turns. OF course, more
exhaustive study may show that some
Of these changes would not be as ad-
vantageous as now appears, but the fact
that circumstances justify such inten-
Sive study and favorable consideration
of any plan to permit closer co-opera-
ton between the street car lines Is
manifest.
''3. In addition, testimony before the
subcommittee, which held numerous
hearings on the subject, was that there
would be considerable economy as a re-
suit of uniflcation which should be re-
flected in improvements in service and
in lower fares than would be possible
without unifcation. These economies
would entail no hardships on employees.
"The public sentiment for unifica-
ton has been shown at the hearing to
be so overwhelming that it is clear that
legislation on the subject should be
adopted.
"The resolution as reported, with the
exception Of the amendments, is the
resolution recommended to the House
by the Public Utilities Commission. The
resolution differs In numerous respects
from the resolution reported to the last
House, but all the changes represent ad-
vances In the protection Of the public
interests.
"The objective of the committee has
been merely to bring about the unifica-
~ 14V.
panies so that their rights, powers and
duties shall be lodged in the unified
company to be exercised and performed
by it at all times under the regulations
of the Public Utilities Commission the
permanent body established by Congress
to regulate the operation of public utili-
ties in the District of Columbia"
Provisions Summarized.
Mr. Blacks report contains a sum-
mary Of the provisions in the merger
resolution.
Regarding the operation of taxicabs,
Representative Black points out that
this was "one of the chief points dis
cussed before the commission and the
subcommittee had to do with the pos
sibility of the unified company driving
existing taxicabS out of business. To
eliminate this question, the committee
has proposed amendments by which the
unified companies would be authorized
to engage in the street railway and bus
business
Regarding subsidiaries, Mr.. Blacks
report points out that amendments we're
suggested to prevent the unified COM
panieS from operating in the District
through subsidiaries.
Obviously" the report said, "the
street car companies, recognizing the
merits Of unification, would not employ
subsidiaries except when absolutely nee
eSsary. 1t is sometimes an advantage,
when new construction is undertaken,
to form a subsidiary as a financial de-
vice to insure free and economical lower
capital into extensions, betterments and
Improvements. The committee, there
fore, rejected the proposed amendment.
The situation is protected since all the
operations are subject to regulations by
the Public Utilities Commission, q crea-
ture Of Congress"
Regarding bus transfers, the Black
report says: 1T was urged by some
that free transfers between street cars
and buses and between buses be made
mandatory. The committee bill leaves
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