Evening star., 1942-10-25
SuitIand Transfer Fee
Elimination Accepted
On Utilities Terms
Firms Voluntary Plan
Is Approved by PUG;
In Effect Tomorrow

An order authorizing the Capital
Transit Co.. and the Washington,
Marlboro & Annapolis Motor Lines,
Inc, to proceed with their plan for
elimination during the war emer-
gency of the two-cent transfer
charge for service to Southeast
Washington and nearby Maryland
was issued by the Public Utilities
Commission yesterday.
The effect of this action was to
accept the offer of the two utilities
to eliminate the transfer charge
voluntarily, provided the PUG issued
no final order concerning it. If
such an order were issued, the COM
panies threatened at recent hear
ings, they would be forced to take
the matter to court.
Agreement Conceded.
Yesterdays order co1fceding to
the utilities agreement was issued
by Chairman James H. Flanagan
and Engineer Commissioner Charles
w. Kutz, with the third member,
Gregory Hankin, dissenting.
1T is the opinion of the commits
sion," the majority opinion stated,
that the immediate financial relief
to the thousands of passengers using
the lines of the two companies is of
greater Importance than the tech
nical legal question whether the
commission has authority to require
free transfers between the two un-
related companies"
The order will become effective at
1901 am. tomorrow and will re-
main in force for the duration Of the
emergency declared by the Presi-
dent, or until December 81, 1914,
whichever is the earlier.
Thousands Affected.
Among passengers who will be af-
fected by the transfer charge elm
ination are the thousands of work.
ers now employed at the Census
Bureau at Suitland, Md. These, it
was pointed out in the opinion al
ready total 5000 and eventually may
increase to 5000.
The ordef explained that the pro-
posal between the two companies
would not limit in any way the
powers or authority of the COM
mission, but would preserve to the
companies any legal rights they
may have upon the question of the
commissions authority to require
free transfers good for transporta-
ton over the lines of the two un-
related firms.
ITO the commission" the opinion
added, 1T is unthinkable that all
OF the Government employees using
the lines OF the two companies in
reaching Suitland and other Gov
ernment employees engaged in the
District of Columbia should con-
tinue to pay the additional charge
OF four cents day in order to per-
init the commission and the trans
portation companies involved to lit
igate legal question which is not
raised by the proposed plan.'
Dissenting Opinion.
In his dissenting opinion, Mr..
Hankin said he agreed that the
2-cent charge should be eliminated,
but he added that he did not agree
that the elimination should be made
temporary or that the elimination
should "be accomplished by the
commissions approval of an agree
ment whereby the companies as
sumo to control the commission's
regulatory jurisdiction"
He said that while the ma iority
opinion made no finding that there
was unjust discrimination involved
in the charge, the record fully jus
titled the finding and that it was
only on this basis that the COM
mission could order the elimination.
Mr.. Hankin charged also that the
commission was bowling to regula-
ton by the utilities instead of itself
regulating the utilities. He cited
that this had been brought to the
attention of citizens, including
representatives of employees working
at Suitland, at previous hearings
and that they had urged that they
would rather continue paying the
transfer charge than have the COM
mission surrender any part of its
jurisdiction.