Evening star., 1933-10-18
UTILITY BODY GETS
TRANSFER SCHEME
Plan Announced by Hanna to
Be Examined Prior to
December !.

The proposed universal transfer sys-
tenn, under which Washington street.
car riders would be permitted to travel
from any point in the District to any
other point" was in the hands OF the
Public Utilities Commission today.
A formal outline of the plan, which
was announced yesterday by John H.
Hanna, president Of the> new Capital
Transit Co., was examined by Riley 3.
Elgen, a member of the commission,
who said it would be given consider
alton some time before December /.
He termed it "a most liberal nterpre-
tation" of the resolution under which
the Washington Railway g. Electric Co.
and the Capital Traction Co. will be
merged. He added that he did not ex-
pect any public hearings to be held on
the proposal
The system. as formally submitted to
the commission, would have little effect
on bus passengers, free transfers being
given only to those receiving them un-
der the present set-up.
Restrictions Are Few.
Announcement of the plan was the
first statement of policy made on be-
half Of the new company, which begins
operation on December l.
The statement came at the first meet
ing OF the Advertising Club of WASH
lngton, attended by members Of the
board of the new company and repre-
sentatives of the District government.
The only limitations to be placed on
the new transfers, Hanna said, are that
they cannot be used more than an hour
or an hour-and-a-half after their is
suance, and they will not be good for
return trips to the point Of origin.
Other plans, now under considera-
ton, he listed as purchase Of new
equipment, rerouting of lines, and ex-
periments with zone fares or lower
fares for limited periods of the day.
On none of these points, however,
he said, have studies progressed to the
point where definite announcement
can be made. Purchase of new street
cars cannot be expected for about a
year he said. That is because ex-
periments in developing a new type Of
car, on which the industry has spent
already approximately S5O0,0O0 Will
take that much longer. No experiments
with zone or other cut-rate fares will
be tried until the company Is satisfied
that 1t will not entail a financial sacri-
flee. he warned
The merged company, he said, will
have between $500 and 5000 employees.
We propose" he added, ito continue
the uniform policy of the old companies
OF paying fair wage to those who work
for US. We do not propose to discharge
any workers on December l. Economies
in operation must follow the merger,
and to accomplish them some pay roll
reductions must be made unless our
business substantially increases. Re-
ouctlon IN personnel which may follow
as result of economies will be brought
about gradually and with as little dis
turbance as possible"
Extracts From Speech.
Other important extracts from Mr..
Hanna'S speech are:
The company is financially sound. its
aggregate bonds and stock are less than
values Which have been fixed in the
past, and its bonded Indebtedness rela-
lively low. What its earnings will be
cannot be prophesied, but economies,
relief from some of the burdens the
merger grants, with a reasonable in
crease in the number of passengers will
insure its financial stability =
whether or not buses will ulti-
mateIy supersede surface rail lines is a
matter Tor future engineering develop
ments to determine. At present rail
service Is more efficient and satisfactory
Tor handling heavy traffic.
The name Capital Transit Co. was
CHOSEN definitely to signify that this
new agency stands ready to furnish
mass transportation facilities to the city
OF washington, using whatever vehicles
| may be best adapted to the particular
service required and which NAV meet
with public approval.
5000 Passengers Per Hour,
"A double-track surface railway can
readily carry 5000 seated passengers
per hour in each direction; a roadway
| 30 feet between curbs will accommo-
GATE 1000 vehicles per hour, each of
them carrying an average of IL pas
sengers. These figures prove that two
| additional 80-foot streets would be in
sufhcient to carry in individual vehicles.
| either private cars or taxicabs, the num-
per OF passengers now carried on one
oouble-track street railway line"
The three local transportation svs
tems still carry approximately 27O 900
passengers per day, or about 40 per cent
OF the total number Of persons coming
into and leaving the business center.
In other cities of comparative size, mass
transportation vehicles carry from so
to 80 per cent
Mr.. Hanna was introduced to the club
by President Walter D. Barkdull.