Evening star., 1934-10-06
Valuation Inquiry Sought on
Rapid Transit Company
Before Merger.
REROUTiNG CHANGES
HELD ONLY ECONOMY
Commissioners Told Some of Plans
Not Primarily Designed to
Benefit Public.

the Washington Rapid Transit Co.
bus line by the Capital Transit Co.
for $843000 was voiced today by the
Public Utilities Committee of the Fed
Grafton of Citizens Associations in a
brief filed with the Public Utilitk S
Commission. The brief will come up
for discussion at a meeting Of the
federation tonight.
The committee" said the brief,
opposes the purchase at the figure
agreed upon by the two companies
and insists upon the most rigid IN
quiry and impartial valuation by the
commission as necessary elements
preceding the consideration Of any
offer of purchase submitted.
''As to the merger of said Rapid
Transit Co. with the Capital Transit
Co, if purchased, the committee
withholds its position until that mat
ter is properly before the commission
for consideration"
Comments on Rerouting.
On the rerouting plans offered by
various experts and now before the
commission for consideration. the
brief says:
The committee seeks to impress
upon the commission its studied con-
viction that some of the changes
suggested. although ostensibly urged
as a benefit to the car rider emerge
in the final analyses as a mere econ
omy move for the benefit of the COM
pany."
On the question of subways. it says:
''The committee believes that conSid-
Grafton at this time of subways, tun-
nels. underpasses, etc, remains aca-
demic in the absence of available
funds to finance any proposition of
this character. This is aside from the
question whether the city has reached
a point either in population or in
congestion of travel as to justify con-
sideration."
Track Removal Delay Asked.
Recognizing that many of the
changes suggested in street car routing
are experimental the brief urged the
commission not to remove any street
car tracks even after service has been
abandoned on any particular track
for at least one year following the
date Of abandoning service.
The brief suggested that until the
street car rerouting has been COM
pleted it would be unwiSe to embark
on any radical changes in the present
bus routings.
Several of the rerouting plans Of
fered introduced additional turns into
the street car track layout. Comment
ing on this, the brief said:
Every effort should be made by
the commission to eliminate as far as
possible the number of turns now
existing in the car line. Should the
commission fail in this one of the
strong prevailing reasons advanced by
the railway companies for the merger
will have perished."
Changes Recommended.
The following rerouting changes
were approved:
Sending the Fourteenth street cars
direct down Fourteenth street from
New York avenue to Pennsylvania in
stead OF around by the Treasury;
sending Georgia avenue cars down
Seventh street from Florida avenue
instead of down Ninth street; aban-
doning car service on Ninth street
south of Florida avenue provided serv-
ice is continued on Ninth street south
of K street; continuing the Kennedy
street line to Takoma Park as at
present, except that part of the cars
now routed down Fourteenth street
from Kennedy be sent south on
Georgia avenue instead; double track
ing Kennedy street from Georgia ave-
nue. to Third street: abolishing the
stub and terminal of the Columbia
line at Fifteenth street and New York
avenue; elimination of the car loop
at Fourteenth and Kennedy streets
The brief approved of the proposal
to build tracks on Fifteenth street
from H street south to F. street and
disapproved the alternate proposition
to build tracks on H street from Four
teenth to Thirteenth streets and on
Thirteenth street from II to F streets.
Elimination of car tracks on New
York avenue and Fifth street, now
used by patrons of the New Center
Market, was disapproved.