Evening star., 1943-02-07
Scarcity Of Tokens
Increases Troubles Of
Transit Company
Schemes to Take Metal
Or Tie Up Discs Are
Looked on WoriIy
BY LISBETH SOLiING.

The Capital Transit Co. has ex-
hausted its reserve stock of fare
tokens, can't get any new ones. and
the War Production Board has sent
metal specialist to look into the
possibilities Of melting down what
tokens remain to reclaim precious
copper for defense industries.
AT the same time, demand for
tokens increases daily because the
ban on pleasure driving shifts new
passengers to buses and Streetcars.
and the Public Utilities Commission
has ordered the company to sell
three tokens for quarter.
Tokens cost about g. cents a
piece, whereas cash fare is 10 cents.
When the Manor Park Citizens
Association last week passed a reso-
luton urging that tokens be placed
on sale at grocery and drug stores
In the District to speed transactions
and traffic, company officials nearly
sWooned. That was the last straw
Such action would take great chunks
Of much-needed tokens out of Circu-
lation indefinitely, they said
S,037,00 Rides in Week.
The transit company during a re-
cent week sold 3574.307 cash and
token fares. and transported 4,462.-
770 passengers on weekly passes.
making a total of approximately
8.037000 rides, or HAS, 900 rides per
day.
1t has 100000 tokens on hand
divided as follows: 100000 in
hands of the public, 100000 at the
treaSurers Office and 1140,0O0 in di-
vlsional Offices. Tokens III fare boxes
on tWo-man vehicles are ground
through the meter and recovered i'm
medlately by the conductor. while
tokens in fare boxes on one-man We
hicles remain there until counted by
machines III the treasurer'S Office
In the latter case the cycle Of a
token from passenger through the
treasurer's and divisional Offices back
to passenger takes from two to
five days.
The company used to have 200 900
tokens IN reserve at all times. but
and all tokens are now in circula-
ton. Out Of 100 fares, 58 are tokens
and AZ cash on the average, not fig
uring any weekly passes in the 100
fares.
100000 Ordered.
One million tokens. III the tradi-
tlonal alloy Of Is per cent nickel and
the balance copper and zinc. were
ordered year ago Five hundred
thousand were delivered by last
June, and 100000 tokens in a brass
alloy consisting of IS per cent copper
end 35 per cent zinc were delivered
during the last two months. Three
hundred thousand tokens still are
undelivered, and there are at the
moment no prospects of obtaining
these.
A representative of the War Pro-
duction Board, which is attempting
to make up a 100000 ton copper
shortage III the l943 defense pro-
gram, recently surveyed the posi-
bilities of melting down the transit
Company'S token stocks to recover
copper, but it is understood he was
STAYED off. Paper tickets are costly
to supply and handle, cannot be
counted with coin fares in machines
and are peculiarly liable to theft.
Woodward g. Lothrops sells from
$500 to $500 worth of tokens and
school children's tickets each week,
and school tickets also are sold by
several banks and neighborhood
drug stores and delicatessens. These
arrangements involve considerable
use of gasoline and rubber by servic-
ing cars. company officials say. The