Evening star., 1942-07-02
.Wrang|es Mark
'Cross-Town
Bus Hearing
Lubur Clashes With
Transit Co. Engineer
And Counsel

AND NOunSeI
Repeated wrangles over the Cap
ital Transit Co.'S policies, dividends
and service featured this mornings
session of the Public Utilities Com
hearing on the proposed
establishment of a cross-town bus
line using Military road.
officials hoped to complete the
case today but it may be days before
the commission is prepared to give
a decision. Spokesmen for scores
OF civic, business and neighborhood
groups are demanding the new serv-
ice. The company is opposing them
on the grounds that it would not
pay its way.
nathan M. Lubar, head of the
Steering Committee for the Cross
Town Bus Line, charged that If the
company had not been making rea-
sonable returns and if service to the
public had not been adequate, 1t
was because of poor business pol
1cleS.' Specifically, Mr.. Lubar de-
clared, the company never had ini-
tlated a move at the PUG for estab-
llshment OF a new" transportation
line.
Questions Upheld by Hankin
The witness on the stand was
Dean j. Locke, company staff en-
glneer. During his cross examina-
tion by Mr.. Lubar numerous OBJ
Jections to Mr.. Lubars questioning
were made by S. r. Bowen, COM
pany counsel. In most instances
the commission chairman, Gregory
Hankin, upheld Mr.. Lubar.
During the many exchanges, Mr..
Bowen commented, 1--WE don't know
just where this case is going to 60
and I want the record to show I
nave noted exceptions
At the outset, Mr.. Locke was asked
to restate the company's estimate of
the cost Of the new cross-t town line.
which would run from Twelfth and
Quincy streets NE. to Western and
wisconsin avenues NV. Mr.. Locke
SAID the net cost to the company
would be $780, a year, including
credits from the proposed elimina.
tion of the Chevy Chase loop bus.
He said a minimum of $500 new
fares a day would be needed to meet
this cost.
Area "Quite Well Covered"
Mr.. Lubar asked why Mr.. Locke
or other company officials had
not figured how many new riders
might result from this or other new
services and the witness replied
tnere was no known way of esti-
mating the number and that the
company had been too busy" with
war transportation problems to en-.
gage in academic" questions.
Mr.. Lubar quoted from the first
cross-town bus hearing, in February,
l94l, to show Mr.. Locke then had
testlned that the only way to find
out how many new customers could
be obtained by new service would
be oy operation for an experimental
period.
During this debate, Mr.. Lubar
charged that the company had
never, since its creation December
l, 1888, gone to the commission with
a request that it be permitted tn
establish new line. Mr.. Locke said
ne was sure the company had done
So put asked time t. prepare such
a list. He recalled establishment
OF the Sheriff road bus, but he in
sisted Mr.. Luber was tying nv
hands by insisting on new lines"
as distinguished from extensions
or notifications of service"
The witness insisted that the his.
arlc1 territory had been for years
quite well covered" and that addi-
tional services had come principally
through extensions and modifica-
tions.
Dividends Question Raised.
chairman Hankin several times
upheld the right of Mr.. Luber tn
insist on answers to his questions
as he framed them.
Mr.. Lubar raised the question n,
tne dividends being paid bv the
company. When Mr.. Bowen and
Mr.. Locke volunteered to submit a
comprehensive statement on divi-
oenos and stock values, Mr.. Lubar
persisted that the witness use his
memory and the latter finally pulled
a personal notation from his Docket
ana said that the following divi-
dends had been paid:
In 1884 (the first year of meroed
operatlon) 81 share; no dividends
at all fer the years 1895 thro,oh
1888; for 1889, so cents q share: Is4o
81 a share, and for fe41, sl25 a.
snare. Mr.. Bowen and Mr.. Locke
characterized these dividends as
only nominal" 80
Poor Services" Charged
The commissions own counse,
Lloyd B. Harrison, told the PUG hs
old not see how the question of
STOCK value back to 1888 related to
the cross-town bus hearing. but tb.
commission passed over his obiec-
tlon. Mr.. Lubar said his Questions
were intended to show that where
no oiVloends had been paid or where
dlVldends did not measure IN tn
oeslreS OF the company, the cause
was poor service" resulting from
the poor business policies" of the
company. alluding to his declara-
ton tAat the company failed to in
itiate new services.
Mr.. Lubar said the company had
depended on its old lines, which he
said caused downtown trafic con.
gestion, but that a measure of re.
lief had been given when citizens
brought about establishment of the
nrst cross-town bus line, which uses
Porter street, Klingle road and PARK
road as a crossing for the Rock
Creek Park area.