Evening star., 1934-12-06
Initial Steps Taken at Meet
ing Called by Peoples
Counsel Roberts.
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED
ASK FOR EARLY ACTION
Propose Route Along Pennsyl-
vania and Constitution Ave.
nues and Northward.

A subway system for Washington
was urged at meeting of civic lead
ers called last night by Peoples Coun-
sci William A. Roberts in the Com
merce Department auditorium.
Resolutions were adopted urging the
subway systems installation at the
earliest possible moment. the Federal
Government to bear the major portion
OF building expense. 1t was pointed
out that the present traffic condition
IN washington is due to the concen-
tration of Government buildings in
the Mall area, and that a proposed
subway would be used mostly by Gov
ernment employees going to and from
work.
Proposed Route Discussed.
Route OF the proposed subway was
generally outlined as proceeding west
ward from downtown point on either
Pennsylvania or Constitution avenues
and then verging northward TO take
care Of suburban traffic.
Speakers, agreeing that 1t might
take all of 10 years to persuade neces-
oo1y oONC4 6AOQDS IIldI TIE SuD-
way Is actually needed. decided to
continue their arguments from time
to time. In the near future, it is un-
derstood, another meeting will follow,
with further discussion Of the ques-
ton.
Several representatives at the meet
Ing sought to commit the group to a
principal of supplementing street car
service with busses where the service
now is inadequate; this, pending the
construction of the proposed subway.
1t was the consensus that instead of
extending or rehabilitating the trolley
lines only actual and necessary re-
pairs should take place. The sug.
gestion, offered by John Paul Jones
and j. r. Manning, was tabled, with
the authors agreeing to the tabling.
Drafting Bill for Congress.
Mr.. Roberts, in calling the meet
ing, said he wanted advice on certain
transportation problems prior to
drafting bill to be presented to
Congress. He said that the whole
traffic system of Washington, despite
three months of hearings by the
Public Utilities Commission and two
sets OF plans drawn by experts, still
was in state of change.
A subway as an ultimate solution
Of the traffic problem confronting the
Nations Capital was contained in a
brief Mr.. Roberts filed last week with
the Public Utilities Commission. In
the meantime, the peoples counsel
fa fu-a
take street cars off surfaces in the
congested areas. One tunnel would
run under Pennsylvania avenue, back
of the White House. and the other
would go below such circles as Dupont
and Thomas.
When Mr.. Roberts touched on the
subway project he got immediate re-
sponse from the audience. Milo H.
BrInkley of the Georgetown Citizens
Association suggested a subway run
ming from Fourth street northwest up
to Twentieth street, or thereabout.
then branching out. some 3 or 4 miles
to begin with, and later continuing on
into greater extensions.
Subsurface Entrances Favored.
w. E. Hoffheins of the Federation
of Federal Employees said his organiza-
ton had prepared subway plan last
Spring and had advocated subsurface
entrances to Government buildings on
the Mall
John Paul Jones then offered the
resolution for the subway system in
Washington and it was carried, with
only two or three dissenting, 1t being
the sense of the meeting that Wash
lngton needs just this sort of improve
ment to its traffic situation. F. T.
Shull of the Conduit Road Citizens
Association moved the resolution for
major Federal payment.
Quite a lot of discussion centered
around the proposal for a street car
switch at Wisconsin avenue and NJ
street, though resolutions on sectional
projects were not generally considered