Evening star., 1937-12-12
By JAMES E. CHINN.

BY JAMES E. CHINN.
Indignant over the recent increase
in transit token fares, the House SUBJ
committee on District Appropriations,
1t was learned last night, is prepared
to turn its wrath on both the Public
Utilities Commission and the Capital
Transit Co. during the forthcoming
hearings on the 1899 supply bill.
Three definite punitive" proposals
are understood to be under consider
alton:
l. Force the transit company to pay
the salaries Of members of the COM
mission until the fare increase is re-
pealed.
2. Provide funds to fill the vacancy
in the Office Of peoples counsel, which
has been vacant since William A. Rob-
erts resigned about year ago.
3. Curtail the already crippled staff
Of the commission.
Commission Ready for Attack.
BY the so-called grapevine" route,
reports Of the subcommittee plans
reached the commission. and it i'm
mediately began preparation Of a de-
fenSe.
The impending battle is not ex-
pected to start before the middle of
the week when the subcommittee be-
gins consideration Of the commission s
1o2O h,,d0ot estimates
Hearings on the new appropriation
bill are scheduled to start tomorrow
at 10 am. The first session, however,
will be devoted to . discussion of the
municipal governments prospective
financial situation. The Commission
ers and Maj. Daniel ]. Donovan, audi
tor and budget officer, will be the
principal witnesses.
The commission had its first serious
brush with the subcommittee during
hearings on the 1888 appropriation
bill year ago. At that time, Chair
man Collins took the commission to
task for not reducing telephone rates
As q result, the bill, as it was re-
ported to the House. carried a legis-
lative provision directing the commits
sion to investigate telephone rates.
This provision was eliminated on q
point Of order in the House, but was
later restored in modified form in
the Senate. The commission, however
took the position such legislation was
unnecessary since it already had
authority to investigate the reason
ableness of rates Of any public utility
corporation in the District.
$500 for Counsel in Budget.
The 1899 budget estimates as ap.
proved by the Budget Bureau, it was
said, carry an item of $500 to pay
..le salary of q peoples counsel The
subcommittee, it is understood, intend.
to approve this item, although last
year it declined to allow funds tc
fill the vacancy in the Office.
Since the recent transit fare in.
crease number of civic organiza.
tions appealed to both the subcom.
mittee and the District Legislativ,
Committee Of the House to restor'
the office Of peoples counsel. Tech
nically, the Office has not been abol.
ished. A successor to Mr. Robert
was not named after no funds wer'
made available for salary. Even i
such funds are appropriated, the ap
pointment is discretionary with tn,
President.
No precedent would be established
by forcing the transit company to pa
the salaries Of the commission mem
bers. it was pointed out, because tn
two street railway companies befor
the merger in 1888 were required +
pay crossing policemen on duty a
rail line intersections. The merge
act relieved the consolidated compan
OF this obligation.
Cost to Company s15,ose.
Even If the plan is approved, tn
Capital Transit Co.'S outlay for sal
aries Of commission members woul
AMOUNT to only $4,000 q year. TIL
salary OF commissioner is $500
year. While there are three mem
bers OF the commission, one Of then
is the engineer commissioner Of tn
District, who draws no pay for serv
ing on the commission.
Mr.. Collins subcommittee com
pleted its inspection of District in
stitutions and activities yesterday
tour arranged as . prelude to the ap
preparation bill hearings and de
signed to give the members an un
derstandtns Of the Districts need
which the 1899 estimates will pre-
vide.
i The hnal trip included an inspes
ton Of Anacostia Park and the ol
Chesapeake q Ohio Canal frol
Georgetown to the District line. q
its tour Of Anacostia Park the sui
committee was accompanied by
Marshall Finnan, superintendent j,
National Capital Parks, and oficia
Of the National Capital Park ar
Planning Commission.
The abandoned g. Il o. Canal v,
inspected because the subcommitt
plans to determine during the hea;
ins1 the actual owner cf this histor
waterway. The Baltimore b oh
4.