Evening star., 1937-11-24
More Letters About
The Traction Stories
To the Editor OF The Star:

appear to be about as pro-Capital Transit
as is the Public Utilities Commission.
At the present time the local transit
monopoly have more cars and buses in
operation than at any other time since
they have been in existence They are
hauling greater loads than ever before
They are charging twice as much for
service as they originally charged. In
spite of these facts, Mr.. Chinn says the
taxicabs are taking away the traction
business.
If he had been driving a taxicab dur
ing the last five years-especially the
last two-he would know that taxicab
patronage has steadily decreased And
that street car and bus patronage has as
steadily increased. This in spite of. the
fact that Washington has-in the first
and second lonesome of the worlds
cheapest rates. And on the other hand
one of the highest car and bus fares in
the country
AS to the taxicab drivers salary, a
detail that appears to worry Mr.. Chinn
and the Utilities Commission, they can
have to do is rent a cab and they will
find out for themselves.
BERNARD L. HENNING.
X
To the Editor of The Star:
Readers of the sympathy provoking
articles by Mr.. James Chinn in behalf
of the utilities should have studied the
widely separated statement on page A-22
of The Star of November l8
The Washington Railway & Electric
Co., just as the fare was raised, gave it's
stockholders an extra dividend, or mel
on" of $l4 per share.
The statistics on this security sound
like fairy tale. Of par 100, the COM
moncstock is quoted at between $500 and
$7O0, pays regularly 36 per cent interest,
which the present dividend brings up to
SO per cent for the current year.
Product OF the one-time merger, the
w. r. d E. is holding company for
all the electric stock and half the car
line stock. Thus these stable earnings
come in part from the electricity sold
householders, in part from electricity
used by the car company (and an item
in the latter's overhead.
If the tokens 60 up, the electric bill
should go down.
Unless, of course, the tokens ought to
be raised to 10 cents, so next year the
stockholders can earn rs per cent on
SAASAA AAAOiANy. L. IL. NldCLEOO.
X X \
To the Editor of The Star:
am reading with real interest the
series of articles by James E. Chinn ap-
pearing daily in your paper and present.
ing the Capital Transit Co.'S reasons for
requesting an increase in the price of
street car tokens. 1t is refreshing in
these times to see large newspaper with
the courage to print the less popular
side of the case, and I feel certain YOUR
unbiased and intelligent readers Will ap-
preclate your attitude in the matter
EDISON B. OLDS, Jr.
To the Editor Of The Star
1t is indeed refreshing to read the daily
articles of your Mr.. Chinn in connection
with the transit situation in Washington
have felt for some time that the
Capital Transit Co. was and is doing a
good job under difficult conditions and
deserves the commendation of the riding
public rather than being continually
harassed and maligned by citizens aSso-
Citations and publicity seeking individuals.
Furthermore, fail to see anything wrong
in the desire of the company to earn a
fair profit, for how else can the business
survive?
So I say, more power to The Evening
Star N its endeavor to present the situa-
tion in manner both fair to the COM
pany and the public
ROBERT w. HUNTER.
X x
To the Editor of The Star
1t is pleasure to commend the fair
and able articles appearing in your paper
FOL rTro, r,+ ~
ten by Mr.. James E. Chinn of the edi-
torial staff. ARTHUR PETER.
To the Editor of The Star
I couldn't keep from sending you a
line on the article in your paper by
MIR. James E. Chlnn about the raise in
car fare. Mr.. Keech must think he is
some business man. What interested me
most was the point he tried to make that
the street cars are not for the casual
rider" but for the people who ride them
daily. I think it would be a swell idea
for Mr.. keech to have the cars go out
and get the regular riders and take them
to work and then let the cars and buses
sit there till the Offices close and then
take the regular riders home. That
would help traffic a lot by not cluttering
self sometime to get Seventh street
car to the wharves and see if you can't
walk down from G street quicker than
you can wait for a street car. Then try
to get a car up on G street NV. going
east and see if you don't get a door
closed IN your face. I have been stand
ing In the street twice in the last two
months waiting for car and before I
could walk the length of the car away
the one-man car went. Once banged
on the door, but the poor man was too
interested in beating light to wait 1
banged on the door before the car was in
motion, too. I don't expect a car to
wait for me while I run half block.
OF course, I am one of those casual
riders and it costs dime to pay cash
fare. Mr.. Keech might explain why it
is necessary to charge 10 cents here to
ride on a street car when smaller towns
can operate and make money for cents.
wonder how long Mr. Keech would be
able to operate department store on
his idea that unless you purchased at
least $50 worth of goods you must carry
1T home with you. Stores do not cater
to just large orders. If the traction COM
pany would get some of those for two
bits tokens in circulation a lot of people
might ride street car in preference to
a cab. Cabs are O. K If a Door man
and his wife are going over to see some
friend he says, why, heck, we can ride a
cab over for 20 cents. and back for 20
,$c nj fvN,1 Il