Evening star., 1932-12-18
TRACTION MERGER
MOTION WILL FACE
SENATE TOMORROW
Will Be Put on Calendar as
Next Business if Austin
Move Wins.
LEADERS BELIEVE 2 DAYS
SUFFICIENT FOR ACTION
Subcommittee Appointed to Draft
Compromises Will Meet in
Afternoon.

will hang in the balance in the Senate
tomorrow.
A motion to make the resolution tc
consolidate the Capitals traction lines
the next order of unfinished business
before the Senate when it convenes at
noon was made by Senator Austin. Re
publican, of Vermont, Immediately fol-
lowing disposition of the Philippine in
dependence bill yesterday.
Senator Blaine, Republican, of Wis
consin, who, with Chairman Capper OF
the Senate District Committee, is op-
posed to the bill as it now stands. then
| announced he would resist the mo-
ton made by Senator Austin. Il
,, Austin's motion is carried the bill
| which passed the House last session
will come up as the Senate's unfinished
business.
1t is believed by some Senate leaders
that two days would be sufficient tc
dispose of the legislation if the motion
to consider is carried.
Harmony Efforts Continue.
Regardless of the disposition oi
Austin'S motion, however, the Citizens
Joint Committee on Transportation will
continue its efforts to bring about
harmony between Peoples Counsel
Richmond B. Keech. who sides with
Senators Capper and Blaine; Assistant
Corporation Counsel William A. Roberts
acting for the Public Utilities Commits
sion. and the public. of which the COM
mittee is representative.
A meeting of the special subcommittee
appointed by Chairman Thomas p
Littlepage, president of the Washington
Chamber of Commerce, to draft COM
promises designed to expedite action or
the legislation, will be held at pm
tomorrow with Mr.. Keech and Mr.
Roberts.
The subcommittee is composed of Mr.
Littlepage, Ben T. Webster, president
of the Board of Trade: Mark LanSburgh
president of the Merchants and Manu-.
facturers' Association: George E
Keneipp, chairman OF the Chamber
of Commerce Transportation Committee
and Col A. B. Barber of the Inter-
federation Conference.
Keech. whose principal objections to
the bill are the 15-year power-rate
clause. the provision granting the merged
company the right to form subsidiaries
within the District and the section re-
stricting free transfers. has indicated to
the committee he is willing to compro-
mise on some portions of the bill. but
he will not make concessions which he
does not feel are in the best public
interest.
Real Benefits Outlined.
The counsel for the Utilities Commits
sion shares in large measure the views
of the peoples counsel with the excep-
ton of the universal free transfer.
TOO much significance has been at
tached in the past to the importance OF
mere corporate merger of the street car
companies Mr.. Roberts said yester-
day This has been considered an
open sesame to the vault of perfect
transportation. Those who have op-
posed previous merger proposals have
properly pointed out that the benefits
from a mere corporate merger In so far
as the public is concerned are insignifi-
cant at best.
The real benefits, the amount of
which is and must remain speculative
will arise from the re-routing of the
car lines. more intelligent fare sched-
ules, which by favoring cff-peak riding
will distribute the transportation bur-
den; the installation of new equipment
made possible by joint financing, which
will accelerate the street car move
ment and attract passengers at present
dissatisfied and unfavorable because of
the endless delays associated with our
street car operation"
In Accord With Committee.
Mr. Roberts said he was in accord
, with the attitude of the Citizens Joint
Committee on Transportation, which
is attacking the transportation problem
as a whole, instead of from any single
angle The committee IS composed of
representatives of the leading civic and
trace organizations and business clubs
OF the city.
The bringing about of a merger of
the street railways to bring Washing
tonians the benefits which will accrue
from co-ordinated mass transportation
facilities" is one feature of the COM
| mittee's program.
The measure to bring this consolida-
ton about was reported favorably to
the Senate last session, but was ac-
companied by a minority report drawn
| up by Senators Capper and Blaine, con-
tanning a list of amendments.