Evening star., 1934-09-11
FEDERAL PARKING
LOT IS SCORED BY
TRAFFIC EXPERT
Ahearn TestifieS 14th Street
Site Is Worst Obstacle
in District.
ASSERTS AUTOMOBILES
BLOCK STREET CARS
South Washington-C Chevy Chase
Bus Line Declared "Un-
necessary"

The parking lot for Government
employees south of the District Build
ing on Fourteenth street, is one of the
worst obstacles to street car traffic
in the District, William A. Ahearn
testified today at the hearing on street
car rerouting before the Public Utili-
ties Commission
Ahearn was associated with John A.
Beeler in drawing up three of the
proposed rerouting plans now before
the commission.
Under cross-examination by Peoples
Counsel William A. Roberts, Ahearn
said there was ample street car equip
nent to move the cars from the Blu
reau of Engraving and Printing to
their destination, but that for this
equipment to move through automo-
biles heading into and out of the
parking lot was almost an inpossi-
bility. The lot never should have
been placed on an arterial highway
he said.
Those to Be Heard.
A list of citizens associations and
other interested groups which will be
heard on the problems of their re-
spective localities tomorrow was made
public by Mr.. Roberts. The Sched-
ule is:
1915 a.m.-Georgetown Citizens
Association.
10:45-Burleith, Glover Park and
Trinidad Associations.
11-American University Park AS
sociation.
11:15-Chevy Chase and Southwest
Associations.
11:45-Midcity Association.
12-Takoma, D. c., Association.
1880 pm.-Fifteenth street bankers
and New York Avenue Presbyterian
Church.
2-sixteenth Street Highlands AS
sociation.
2:15-Lincoln Park and Stanton
Park Associations, American Fedora
ton of Government Employees, Ma
tional Federation of Federal Employees
and the Hecht Co.
Bus Line Held Unnecessary.
Roberts asked Ahearn if it would be
possible to extend the South Washing
ton bus line from the downtown Sec
tion to Chevy Chase, so that colored
persons living in South Washington
and employed in Chevy Chase could
make the journey without transfer
ring.
Ahearn said this was absolutely un-
necessary" as there was good service
n cfy-
now.
In reply to further questions from
Roberts, Ahearn testified there was not
enough traffic to justify a cross-town
bus line through Rock Creek Park ap-
proximately at the line of Tilden
street, although there seems to be a
popular demand for such a line.
He said that in his proposed express
bus line from Maryland south on Wis
consin avenue, there would be no
stops between the District Line and
Dupont Circle.
At yesterday afternoons hearing,
Peoples Counsel Roberts filed a petit
ton asking for public hearing on the
proposal of the Capital Transit Co. to
pay $843,00 for the Washington Rapid
Transit Co. under the terms of the
merger act permitting acquisition of
the bus company.
Seeks Stakeholder Data.
He asked for information on "the
relationship of the vendor and the
stockholders of the Capital Transit
Co. and the obligations of the vendor
payable to such stockholders and Sc
cured by such stock; the original and
reproduction costs of the bus COM
pany's property; gross and net income
record; comparative operating ex-
penses, and all other corporate and
financial information.
His petition asks the amount and
nature of merger expenses and
whether any will remain unpaid after
the sale, plans for taking care of
the minority stockholders, how the
stock purchase would be accounted
for and whether it is proposed to
make the payment charge to the
investment account of the Capital
Transit Co., and how the purchase
Is to be financed.
Roberts at yesterdays session cross
examined Mr.. Ahearn at length on
the details Of many phases of the
Beeler rerouting plans which Ahearn
helped to draw. Ahearn said no ac-
count had been taken of the posi-
bility of subway construction because
of its great cost.
He would not commit himself
definitely on the general policy of
substituting buSses for street car serv-
ice. but said that on the Connecticut
avenue line it would be necessary to
replace tracks in about two years
and that in other cities a similar line
would be replaced by bus line.