Evening star., 1934-10-12
ID. C. Transportation Ex-
pertS Unable to Agree on
Single Set of Schemes.
PUBLIC UTILITY GROUPS
SCHEDULES ARE UPSET
Peoples Counsel Now Working
on Chesapeake & Potomac
Telephone Co. Brief.

Because the District transportation
rerouting experts have been unable up
to date to agree on single set of re-
routing plans to recommend to the
Public Utilities Commission, the mat
ter of rerouting will be set aside for
awhile, and the commission will 60
ahead with the collateral question of
merging the bus and street car COM
panies at a hearing called for 10
O'Clock Monday morning.
This upsetS plans the commission
previously had in mind for taking up
rerouting at hearings this week, and
delaying the matter of the bus COM
pany purchase by the street car COM
pany until after all rerouting questions
had been disposed of.
One Plan Asked.
When hearings on rerouting were
called, the commission had before 1t
three plans by the John A. Beeler or
ganization, specially retained for the
study, and three differing plans by
Fred A. Sager, its own chief engineer.
After these had been put in the record,
the commission directed Beeler and
Sager and William A. Ahearn, Beeler's
associate, to get together and join in
recommending a single plan. The
three have been working together ever
since, but have not yet presented the
final plan.
AS to the bus company deal, the
commission has before it a request In
writing from the Board of Directors
of the Capital Transit Co. to be al
lowed to buy the Washington Rapid
Transit Co., operating the Sixteenth
street and other bus lines, for
s843,000. The price offered has
brought sarcastic comments from Peo-
pies Council William A. Roberts and
from William NICK. Clayton, repre-
senting the Federation of Citizens
Associations. The commission. after
receiving the petition, ordered an in
vestigation of "all pertinent data" re-
garding the proposed transaction, and
the data Is to be revealed at Mondays
hearing.
Final Valuation Sought.
The commission, which has a num-
Der of important matters pending.
went through a long session of the
valuation case of the Washington and
Georgetown Gas Light Cos. yesterday.
1t is preparing its valuation report
piecemeal. Up to date it has settled
the questions relating to land, cash
working capital, cost of financing and
appliances. 1t will not announce its
position as to any Of these questions,
however. until a final valuation figure
is available.
The commission has before it q
brief from the companies, but none
from William A. Roberts, who was the
commissions counsel when the case
was tried and later became peoples
counsel. Roberts asked for more time
to file a brief, but, in view of the
commissions active consideration OF
the case without waiting for his brief
it is believed now that he will not file
one as counsel for the commission
He is expected to have something to
say later in his capacity as peoples
counsel.
At the moment he is working on the
brief in the appeal of the Chesapeake
& Potomac Telephone Co. from the
order of the commission reducing tel
ephone bills 10 per cent. The reduc-
ton was sustained in the District Su-
preme Court, and the company ap-
pealed to the Court of Appeals. The
brief must be filed within II days.