Evening star., 1942-10-12
Free Transfers
To ". N. & A.
Lines Argued
Companies Propose
Voluntary Action
At PUG Hearing

Elimination Of the 2-cent transfer
charge between the Capital Transit
Co. and the Washington, Marlboro
& Annapolis Motor Lines for service
for Southeast Washington and near
by Maryland was debated again to-
day before the Public Utilities Com
mission. ....
Spokesman for the companies Of
fered to enter into an agreement
for the voluntary" elimination Of
the transfer charge for the duration
of the war, but union and civic
spokesmen protested that the extra
charge should be eliminated now
by a formal order of the PUG.
j. c. Capt, director of the Census
Bureau, appealed to the PUG near
the close of the hearing for early
elimination of the transfer charge,
but he left 1t to the Commission to
determine how this could be ac-
complished.
8. r. Bowen, counsel for the Cap
ital Transit Co., and James Donovan,
counsel for the w. M. A A., declared
the District commission had no au-
thority to compel the companies to
give up the transfer charge since tho
two concerns were unrelated" They
said they would have to preserve
their rights and that an appeal to
the court was to be anticipated
should the commission seek to use
compulsion.
They argued that due to the war
conditions they were willing to enter
into stipulation for the voluntary
elimination of the charge until the
end of the war, after which they
would decide whether to fight tho
continuation of free transfers.
Petition Presented.
Robert Sherman. president OF the
Commerce Department Local Of the
CIO, presented petition signed by
1000 Census Bureau workers at the
Suitland (Md) Offices calling for
free transfers and a lower fare on
the suburban service.
He declared it would not be nee
essary for the case to be tied up in
court, depriving the Government
workers and others of the immedia-
ate benefit Of a free transfer ar.
rangement. He said the commits
sion could issue an order for the
removal OF the transfer charge and
the companies could appeal the de-
cision to the court, but that they
might do this without insisting on
suspension of the PUG order until
the court decided the case.
Gregory ( Hankin, commission
member charged that t;the,. com
panies were attempting To- sregu3ate
the commission" instead Of sub-
mitting to regulation, as,~o .r
He insisted that II thee Golnpanies
were willing to give up, The ,transfer
charge for the duration there Ap-
peared no reason why this should
be done by q company agreement
instead of by commission order.
During q colloquy with Mr.. RAN
kin, Mr.. Bowen declared that If the
plan for voluntary elimination Of
the charge failed, "the responsibility
would rest on the commission-not
the companies
Harrison Agrees with Companies.
Lloyd B. Harrison, PUG counsel,
agreed with company counsel that
if the PUG issued final order In
stead of accepting the company
agreement, it was to be expected
the concerns would preserve their
right to appeal on the question Of
Jurisdiction and in doing 50 might
delay granting of free transfers "for
year or more" until final court
order was obtained.
William A. Duvall, speaking for
the Southeast Council OF Citizens
Associations, and l.. w. Potts, for
the Citizens Taxpayers League, OBJ
jected to the company voluntary
plan, and Henry Austin, speaking
for the Bradbury Heights Citizens
Association, voiced approval of it
as "one step ahead" for Southeast
bus riders.