Evening star., 1932-12-21
District Committee Meantime
to Consider Details of
Compromise.
TENTATIVE AGREEMENT
REACHED AT CONFERENCE
Spokesman of Transit Companies
Wcrk Cut Solution of Dis
puted Questions.

With hope running high for final
settlement Of the long discussed Dis
trict street railway merger, the Senate
agreed today by unanimous consent to
lay the question aside until tomorrow to
give District Committee members time
in which to work out, with the inter-
ested groups, details of the suggested
compromise.
Senator Austin of Vermont, in charge
of the pending consolidation plan, told
the Senate when it met at noon that
overnight tentative agreement for set
tlen,ert of the merger had been reached
and that the interested parties were
now at work setting up the exact Ian
guage of the proposed agreement He
said time would be required to consider
these new developments after they had
been reduced to writing.
Study Fair Trade Bill.
Austin's original suggestion was thal
the Senate recess until tomorrow, put II
was decided after brief debate TO sta!
in session today and discuss the Cap
per-Kelly fair trade bill with the under.
standing that the merger discussion VIII
be resumed tomorrow. -,
Senator Blaine. Wisconsin, VINO WIZ
Chairman Capper Of the DISTRICT COM
mittee. is insisting on the changes II
the merger plan, which are now tnt
subject of compromise efforts, concurfee
in Senator Austin's request.
Just before the Senate met. member.
of the Citizens Joint ITansportatior
Committee, headed by Thomas P. Little
page. the group which took the the init. init
ative yesterday in starting the com
promise negotiations, arrived at th'
Capitol with report covering the tan
tatiye agreement. This had been work
ed out at a conference last night VIII
representatives OF the street rallwa.
companies, including William F. Han
CT the Washington Railway q Electrk
Co.: John H. Hanna of the CAPITA
Traction Co., and Harley P. Wilson.
One Question Omitted.
II is understood this report dealt with
all of the disputed questions except one
namely, the indeterminate franchise
clause advocated by Senator Blaine. 4
suggested amendment on this question
is being prepared by w. A. Rooerts
counsel to the Public Utilities Commls
sion. in conference with Peoples Coun'
sci Richmond B. Keech. Roberts alst
arrived at noon with an outline OF tina
amendment and it is likely that TIT
Senate District Committee will NEE
later in the day to go over the pro-
posals on which it is hoped ma
agreement will be reached.
Senator Copeland of New York tolt
the Senate today that the merger ha'
been under almost continuous discus
sion for 10 years and that at last az
agreement seems to~be in sight.
William NICK. Clayton, who has beer
studying utilities problems for the Fed
Grafton OF Citizens Associations To-
many years, also was at the Capitol TO-
day as the negotiations on the mergel
were going forward.
The Issues Involved.
The issues involved in the Capper'
Blaine minority report, concernlnt
which an agreement appears necessar.
in the committee if the merger legisla
ton is to succeed, include:
Universal transfers between stree
cars and busses as well as between cars
the power clause. defining the term
under which the Potomac Electric
Power Co. will furnish current to th'
merged car system; the question o
whether the merged company shoult
be allowed to operate through sub
salaries; the granting of power to th'
Utilities Commission to order abandon
ments and the method OF treating
abandonments in valuation cases. ant
the so-called saving clause, relating t.
the power which Congress would re
tain to modify or change the terms O
merger in the future.