Evening star., 1936-06-28
.SP0KESMEN CALL
MASS MEETING TO
PREPARE ATTACK
Capital Transit Revenues
Would Be Increased $431,.
600 Annually.
HEARINGS TO BE HELD
EARLY IN SEPTEMBER
Figures Are to Be Gathered by
Commission Engineers and
Accountants.

Spokesman for at least 26 Washing
tor civic organizations will stage a
mass meeting at pm. tomorrow at
the District Building to map a counter
attack against the move by the Capt.
tai Transit Co. for a fare boost, which
would increase its revenues by some
s43l 900 annually.
Public hearings on the petition Of
the company for an increase In the
street car token fare from 71a cents
to 81s cents and for raising the price
Of the weekly street car pass from 81
to $1.25 are to be held before the
Public Utilities Commission early in
September.
Indications that the company will
wage a determined fight for the pro-
posed changes in fares are seen in
reports showing that during the first
five months Of this year it had q net
loss Of $l0.594 as against a net income
of $382.674 for the corresponding
period Of last year.
Uniformity Souht.
Further, the company fare boost
petition carried the argument that the
requested changes would mean adop-
ton Of uniform bus and street fares,
long sought by civic groups, and actual
reduction of fares on some bus lines
where the fare is now 10 cents cash,
notably the Sixteenth street lines,
formerly operated by the Washington
Rapid Transit Co.
A statement filed with the COM
mission Friday showed the company
had expended sS,575,223 for new
property, including re-routing track
changes, buses, street cars and other
equipment, between December 81,
1888, and April 80 of this year.
The first half hour of the proceed
ngs at the mass meeting will be broad
cast over Station VOL, Peoples
Counsel William A. Roberts announced
yesterday. During that period, general
statements are to be voiced by Thomas
E. Lodge, president of the Federation
of Citizens Associations; William
NICK. Clayton, the veteran chairman
of its Public Utilities Committee:
Harry S. Wender, a spokesman for
the Southeast Citizens Association.
and the peoples counsel.
Roberts has volunteered to repre-
sent the civic groups at the hearing
and called the meeting to get instruc-
tions. He has filed a counter petition
with the commission asking reduction
of fares on a number of bus lines,
which he called discriminatory" He
listed the Massachusetts, avenue, Con-
necticut avenue express bus, the Ia
koma rush hour express bus. the Rhode
Island avenue. the Burleith- Trinidad,
Potomac Heights and Hyattsville bus
lines.
Figures are Sought.
Meanwhile, engineers and account
ants of the commission have started
investigation of all pertinent facts of
the company's financial and operation
conditions in preparation for the hear
ing. the date of which will be fixed
later.
At this hearing there will be up for
action also the petition by the COM
pany for permission to increase the
number of one-man street cars now
allowed. The total is now IL The
company seeks permission to convert to
one-man operation the 20 new presi-
dents conference type of cars operat-
ed on the RosSlyn line and for use of
so secondhand one-man cars OBJ
tanned from Providence, r. l. Thirty
of these would be for replacement Of
old one-man cars and the remaining
20 to replace old two-man cars.
Announcing that he had received
very substantial' response tn his
call for the mass meeting, Roberts
said the following groups had selected
their delegates, which were listed:
American University Park Citizens
Association - William T. Belts and
Vincent B. Smith; Bloomingdale Civic
Association--Mrs. J. A. Quincy and
Emory A. Bryant; Capitol View Cit
izens' Association - Brunce Stewart
and w. A. Longe: Cathedral Heights
Cleveland Park Citizens Association
Mrs. Clara Wright Smith; Citizens
Association of Chevy Chase. r.
Mannink; Dahlgren Terrace Citizens
(See FARES, Page B-2)