Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-09-11
Delay Of Two Weeks
On 0ne-Man-Car
Decision Is Forecast
Hearing Closes; Speed
Of Conve., ID Types
In Tests Are Cited
BY DON S. WARREN.

Decision on the petition by the
Capital Transit Co. for permission
to convert Is of it's 2Z-year-old two
man street cars to one man opera
tion-a move that some say would
be a first step in conversion of all
of its remaining two-man cars
probably will be deferred by the
Public Utilities Commission for
about two weeks.
Public hearing on the issue was
ended late yesterday and final argu-
ments were offered by counsel for
various points of view, but the COM
mission allowed 10 days for the
company to submit answers to a
series of questions. mostly of tech
meal nature, whi>h were proposed
by Fred A Sage chief engineer
on the staff of the commission.
AS the hearing closed, T. Ormande
Nichols. counsel for Local 689 of
the Amalgamated Association of
Street and Electric Railway and Mo-
tor Coach Employees of America,
opposed the petition and added any
idea that may be in the back of
any ones head for the conversion
of additional numbers of two-man
cars in later years should not even
be considered"
Pay Raises Cited
In response, S. R. Bowen, of
counsel to the transit company, de-
ciared that street car facilities here
were now as good as any in the
country, asserted that the employees
of the company had been lib
orally considered" referring to pay
raises since 1888, and declared that
stockholders, long denied dividends,
deserved consideration.
AS the hearing ended, it appeared
that the commission was confronted
with these major questions: Should
the company be required to buy
streamlined new cars, S17,500 for
use only in "tripper" or rush hour
service? Should it rather be per-
mitted to convert its old two-man
cars for this tripper service, as one
man cars, the cost of the conversion
being estimated at about $4,000?
Would the proposed change benefit
the employees of the company, or
hurt them?
At present there are 1877 of the
new Streamlined cars, AL of the
older two-man cars and II of the
convention one-man cars. AS for
the base day" service, the new
streamlined cars fill most of this
need, the Commission was told;
the many two-man cars being used
mostly to fill out the needs of the
rush-hou service.
More New Cars Planned.
The company, the Commission
was told, plans to continue buying
about IS new streamlined cars each
year, but it is said that if the Com
mission will permit it, it would like
to convert one two-man car to one
man operation each year for each
new streamlined car purchased.
Harry S. Wender, wee chairman
of the Federation of Citizens Asso-
citation, who emphasized that he was
speaking only as an individual, said
the federation Historically" was
opposed to extension of the use of
one-man cars, but he added he be-
lieved there had been a change of
view by many persons since the
advent of the Presidents Confer
apcav nore uyitI uyt,inh ha cold he
thought the public was well
pleased" He said he was dis
turbed" not with the question of
the proposed conversion of the Is
cars, but with the question Of
whether such a step might "retard"
purchase of additional new stream
liners.