Evening star., 1934-02-14
Chairman Black of Subcom-
mittee to fake Up Com
plants.
IMPROVEMENT SEEN
IN BETTER WEATHER
President Hanna of Traction Line
Emphasizes Traffic Congestion
as Cause of Slowness.

Representative Black of New York,
chairman of the subcommittee on
public utilities of the House District
Committee, announced today his sub
committee would hold public hear
ing in the caucus room of the old
House Office Building Friday night at
q o'clock to consider complaints OF
inedeouate service against the Cap
ital Transit Co.
Black declared that during consider
alton by his subcommittee of the reso-
luton which authorized the merger OF
the car companies the street car exec
utives had promised him that the
service would be improved under
unified operation. On the contrary.
he declared. there have been many
complaints Of inadequate service un-
de- the merged operation and he ar
ranged for the public hearing prl-
marily to give officials of the company
an opportunity to answer the crlti-
cism. Civic representatives are also
invited to attend.
Better Service Assured.
John H. Hanna, president OF the
transit company. notified the Public
Utility Commissioners yesterday that
street car service should be brought
we'll I'D to the standard required with
the return of ordinarily favorable
weather.
,,.,-. - = o,,,er1, froY,, the con-
mission, February 5. made after COM
plants had been voiced against car
service. Hanna stated the service was
not all the commission desired to fur
rish and listed reasons for the sit
uation.
While Hannas statement was SIM
liar to that made yesterday by Riley
z. Elgen, acting chairman OF the COM
mission. the transit company head en-
phasized traffic congestion as reason
for slow movement of street cars.
BIames Traffic Conditions.
''While lack of speed is next to over
croWding the most serious source OF
complaint against our service ne
wrote. 'it is the most difficult to cor
tirely beyond our control. During the
past two years. both the Washington
Railway & Electric Co. and the Capital
Traction Co. had been able to increase
very materially the average scheduled
speed of their cars in spite of the out
razeous traffic conditions existing in
the District.
Under ordinary weather conditions,
delays in service have been due to a
number of causes:
"a. Traffic lights operated at numer-
GUS intersections throughout the day
when the need for them does not exist
for more than one or two hours, If
at all.
"b. Double parking which exists to
q considerable extent throughout the
business districts and which can be
found at almost any place in the city
and which multiplies the ordinary
congestion many times"
Cold Weather Handicap.
Hanna said that since February !
street car traffic had been handicapped
due to the effect of cold weather and
snow and ice. One serious effect, he
said. has been the pulling" OF street
car plows and the blocking of switches
by ice. This type of delay, he said
unfortunately is one of the prices
which has to be paid" for the under
ground conduit system.
AS to overcrowding, Hanna said the
increase in patronage after the street
car companies were consolidated De-
Cember | was larger than anticipated
but that all possible equipment had
been pressed into service. He said
since December l, the company had
employed 1877 new men and now has
SO of these still under instruction, that
some we're qualifying for regular daily
work.
On February 2. he said. 544 street
cars were in operation. an increase oi
81 over the total for November % last
in the morning rush hours. Five days
later the number had increased to 55t
cars.
Many Men on Sick List.
Hanna also explained that a seri'
Gus condition confronting the COM
pany was the number of men off duty
due to sickness. He said that on Feb
ruary 8, for instance, So trainmer
were absent
AS to complaints against lack O.
sufficient heat on street cars, thu
transit company head said it wa!
found in January that different heat.
ing practices were followed on differ
ent sections of the system and that
unified system since had been estab
1ished. Regular inspections and re-
pairs now are being made, he said.
He said instructions had been is
sued to all car barn executives to have
the cars swept out twice a day. Thi!
had been done on but a part of tht
unified system. Complaints had beer
made that some of the cars were in.
sanitary. During the recent colc
weather. Hanna said, it was impossible
to wash the outside of the cars.