Evening star., 1935-12-17
WOMAN DEFENDS
CAPITAL TRANSIT,
ASSAILING TAXIS
Stakeholder in Company
Says Regulatory Meas
ureS Are Unfair.
WHOLESALE PARKING
OF CARS IN CITY HIT
Public Utilities Commission Told
Investors Wait in Vain
for Profit.

trict's regulatory bodies seems to be
aimed at wrecking its mass trans
portation system were hurled into the
Public Utilities Commissions hearing
on Capital Transit Co. service today
by Mrs. Gardiner P. Orme, 1881
Massachusetts, avenue.
Appearing as a representative of the
stockholders of the transit company,
Mrs. Orme directed her criticism
chiefly at the 20-cent taxicabs, which
she declared had been allowed TO
multiply and flourish" offering COM
petition with the transit service on a
s25 annual license fee and no COM
pulsory liability insurance.
She also assailed the policy Of per-
mitting privately y-owned parked auto
mobiles to clutter up the streets and
public parks and advocated adoption
Of regulations that would force the
owners to provide garage facilities II
that is done, she argued, many of the
cars now unfit mechanically to pe
operated safely would be driven from
the streets because the owners cannot
afford garage rent.
Says Return Not Realized.
Mrs. Orme declared stockholders Of
the Capital Transit had waited for
years for a return on the thousands
of dollars they invested in the COM
pany. but that under existing condi-
tions. it would not be realized.
The commission allowed Mrs Orme
to testify out of turn at the request
of William A. Roberts, peoples coun-
sci. who plans to call more than $50
civic representatives to the witness
stand after Fred A. Sager. chief
engineer of the commission, completes
his testimony.
Sager returned to the stand imme-
diately after Mrs. Orme finished her
statement. and delved into some Of
the minor complaints against the
| transit company, many of which, he
said, contributed to inefficient serv-
| ice. These included such factors as
low voltage at different points on the
main line, and failure of bus opera
tors to announce approaching trans
fer points.
! Sager also disclosed that the COM
| mission, with the assistance of the
! District Health Department is max
/ ing a series Of tests to determine
whether busses are adequately venti-
lated for the preservation of human
comfort and health.
Gas Killers Proposed.
Installation of chemical devices on
buSSeS to suppress the odor from gas
exhausts meanwhile. was proposed by
Commissioner George E. Allen as one
means of improving District transpor-
tation operations.
He plans to forward the suggestion
to the Public Utilities Commission. he
said. He became interested in the
matter on hearing complaints of bus
| passengers
| In some of the BUSES, Sager said
during his testimony today, grab han
| dies are located too high. especially
for woman passengers, and in some
instances there have been minor ac-
cidentS, such as wrenched arms and
backs
| Sager referred to a low-voltage point
on the Wisconsin avenue line in the
vicinity Of the Cathedral avenue hill,
where he said cars capable of making
a speed Of 18 miles an hour were
forced to run at 10 miles an hour.
Improved voltage conditions, he said,
would facilitate service.
Mass of Charts Exhibited.
Sager took up virtually the entire
first day of the hearing, introduce
ing and explaining a mass of blue
print charts depicting deficiencies in
rail and bus service. These charts,
exceeding so in number, were based
on a recent survey by commission
inspectors.
Irregular schedules on both rail and
bus lines, overcrowding and other
frailtieS were especially noted.
Some of the charts revealed that
during rush hours buses are unable
to adhere to schedules, and are so
overloaded in many cases that as
many as three to five buses pass
loading stations without stopping.
Others showed counts made on the
Chevy Chase line, but no records
were given for the new Takoma- Fifth
street express line.
G. A. Corbin of the Manor Park
Citizens Association and William NICK,
Clayton, chairman of the Public Utili-
ties Committee of the Federation of
Citizens Associations, objected be-
cause that line had been omitted
from the tabulation.
Line Held Inadequate.
Clayton declared the service is not
a real express service, and although
the transit company acted to make
improvements, the service still is in
adequate.
I'VE are not getting the service we
are entitled to-" said Clayton. 1T
didn't require public hearing for the
commission and the company to know
that. But we are insistent in our
demand that we do have adequate
service. If we can't get it through
the commission we will 60 to other
agencies of the Government. We are
going to have service"
James L. Martin, executive secre-
tary of the commission, introduced
in evidence 333 written complaints
received by the commission and Peo-
pies Counsel Roberts since last August
/. OF these l13 concerned the Con-
necticut avenue and Chevy Chase bus
line, 81 the Massachusetts avenue line.
18 the Glover Park and Trinidad line
and 16 the AnacoStia and Congress
Heights line.