Evening star., 1934-09-09
FEDERATION HITS
BORDEN|NG PUBLIC
IN TRACK CHANGES
Would Require Company to
Pay Costs Incident to
Rerouting.
'TWO-H0UR WRANGLE
PRECEDES RESOLUTION
Question Threshed Out in Prepa-
ration for Hearing Tomorrow
Before Utilities Body.

The Federation of Citizens Associa-
tions last night opposed payment by
District taxpayers of the cost of any
repaving made necessary by track
changes to be made in any scheme for
rerouting street car lines, a cost which
has been roughly estimated at
100000.
The federation held special meet
ing to discuss the rerouting question,
in view of resumption of hearings at
10 am. tomorrow before the Public
Utilities Commission on the many re-
routing plans already offered by ex-
perts for the commission and the Cap
ital Transit Co.
Because many citizens associations
will not hold regular meetings in Sep
tember, the federation resolved to ask
the commission to hold the hearings
open and not take any final action on
any of the plans until after Novem-
ber /.
Obligation of Company.
The resolution on the subject Of
repaving costs read:
reads: The company shall bear the
entire cost of paving repairs or re-
placements incident to track repairs,
replacements or changes made at a
time when the street or bridge is not
being paved
"And whereas it is important to the
public that this obligation of the Capt.
tai Transit Co. should not be trans
ferred to and borne by the public
through the voluntary undertaking of
the municipality to do such paving
and to relieve said company, Now
therefore be it resolved ;. that (the
federation) deems any proposal to
have paved at the expense of the
municipality any street or bridge up
on which track repairs, requirements
or changes are being, or are about to
be, made by the Capital Transit Co.,
a matter of grave concern to the pub
lie, and upon which a public hearing
should be held, and this federation be
advised of such hearings"
The resolution adopted was the Sec
ond on the subject. Its adoption fol-
lowed a parliamentary wrangle of
nearly two hours, centering principally
around the question Of whether the
merger act does or does not make it
the duty of the company to pay for
repaving where rail is taken up.
Removal Held Change"
The act puts the burden on the
company where there Is any Change"
in the track. Peoples Counsel Will
liam A. Roberts, who attended the
meeting at the invitation of the fed
Grafton, held that to remove track
was certainly a change, and therefore
the company would have to pay for the
resulting repavement.
Henry I. Quinn, another lawyer,
said that for Mr.. Roberts to make such
an argument would be to stultify him.
self. William NICK. Clayton, chair
man of the federation's Committee on
Public Utilities, held it didn't make
and difference what the law said, as
the company lawyers would find some
way around it, and he wanted the
federation to ADOPT a resolution simply
expressing itself as opposed on prin-
ciple to the payment of the repaving
costs by the taxpayers. The resolution
4hObOA aOOfOy 1lbAOAuNCO ny JllC SO1l1-
mittee on Law and Legislation, finally
was adopted after Clayton had with
drawn his original motion.
On motion of Thomas E. Lodge, the
federation also adopted a resolution
asking the Utilities Commission to
leave the Wesley HeightS-American
University Park bus line unchanged,
instead of abandoning its connection
with downtown Washington as pro-
posed by Fred A. Sager, chief engineer
OF the commission.
The federation admitted to men,
bership the District of Columbia
Pharmaceutical Association, composed
of drug store proprietors, and author
lied standing committees to represent
It at the hearings on the District
budget which begin a week from to-
morrow.
Track Removal Proposed.
Removal of the car tracks from
Pennsylvania avenue between Nine
teenth and Fourteenth streets, and
along Fifteenth street east of the
Treasury, was proposed yesterday by
W. w. Bride as attorney for the Wash
ington Hotel and other property
owners.
To accomplish this objective street
cars from Pennsylvania avenue would
be routed through H street to Thir-
teenth street and down Thirteenth
to Pennsylvania avenue. This would
involve construction of tracks on H
street between Nineteenth and Seven
teenth streets; on H street between
Fourteenth and Thirteenth streets;
and on Thirteenth street for four
blocks.
This proposal is to be taken up at the
hearings on rerouting of the lines be-
ginning tomorrow morning.
The plan was filed yesterday with
Richmond B. Keech, commission
member, who said that engineers who
have surveyed car routes have de-
clared H street already to be "unduly
congested.' For this reason he ex-
pressed doubt if the plan would prove
feasible.
One further objection offered to this
plan Is that it would send even more
cars through the congested interSec-
ton of Fourteenth and H streets
Several official plans have been drawn
TO tighten this congestion by other
rerouting plans
The Fifteenth street property
owners offered the plan as means
OF taking the cars away from the front
OF the White House, Treasury De.
partment and State, War and Navy
Building, Keech was informed.