Evening star., 1936-01-04
.SCRAPP|NG URGED
FOR CONNECTICUT
EXPRESS BUS LINE
Abandonment, or at Least
Modification of Schedule,
Is Advocated.
PROPOSAL TOUCHES OFF
TRANSIT HEARING CLASH
Stockholder Says All Downtown
Parking Should Be Banned
and Cabs Made Fewer.

Abandonment or modification" Of
the express buses of the Connecticut
avenue line was proposed to the Public
Utilities Commission today by w. B.
Bennett of the Capital Transit Co., as
he continued his testimony at hearings
on the company's services.
The suggestion Immediately touched
of a spirited clash between President
John H. Hanna Of the company and
William NICK. Clayton. chairman Of
the Utilities Committee Of the Fedora
ton of Citizens Associations. on the
question of whether the company
should strive to reduce the number Of
transfer points generally on its lines.
Clayton contended one of the OBJ
jectives of merger of the two old street
car companies into the Capital Tran
sit Co. was to achieve more direct
routing and reduce the number of ie-
quired transfer points.
Hanna promptly retorted that that
idea had been held only by Clayton
and never was understood or accepted
by the company as one of the pur-
poses of the merger.
Transfers Held Beneficial.
BY repeated questioning, Clayton
brought from Hanna the statement 1t
was not the policy of the company to
try to reduce the number of transfer
points. Hanna said rerouting experts,
including John A. Beeler, who helped
plan the street car rerouting, had
criticized the company for having a
service that was, already too diversi-
fed"
Hanna insisted transfers were bene-
fetal to the public, because by such
connections between rail and bus lines
it enabled the company to give service
between points that otherwise could
not be given.
Clayton then showed that in most
cases transfers from bus to street car
and vice versa call for a 10-cent cash
fare rather than street car token.
Bennett made his suggestion after
declaring the Connecticut avenue ex-
press buses do not really give express
service because of traffic congestion.
Downtown Car Ban Asked.
An absolute ban on automobile
parking in the downtown section dur
ing business hours was advocated by
Arthur Briscoe. stockholder of the
Capital Transit Co.
AS a further means Of improving
mass transportation. Briscoe also Sug-
gested the District Government move
to reduce the number Of taxicabs,
which he held are cluttering up the
streets.
Briscoe declared Washington has
more cabs than any city of like size.
He told the commission automobile
owners should not be allowed to make
open-air garages of the streets, and
urged that the District adopt. at least
for an experimental period of a week.
a prohibition on downtown parking
during business hours.
Claims Service Given Free.
Briscoe contended that transit COM
pany services are given gratuitiouSly
so far as District residents who are
stockholders are concerned, because
they have had little or no return
on their investments since the new
company was formed two years ago.
Further. Briscoe said the company
should not be prejudiced by the public
in its objections to control over local
utilities held by the North American
Co., q giant holding company.
Peoples Counsel william A. Rob-
erts, by questioning Briscoe. brought
out that the North American Co. still
is the majority stockholder. since it
controls the Washington Railway &
Electric Co.. which owns a fraction
more than so per cent of the stock.