Evening star., 1943-09-14
ice Bus Rate
Hearing Enters
Tenth Day
Federal Witnesses
To Be Quizzed by
Transit Counsel

Counsel for the four transit COM
panies named as respondents in the
Interstate Commerce Commission
hearing on bus rates to Government
| buildings in Arlington today were
to cross-examine Government wit
nesses as the hearing goes into its
tenth day.
There was possibility, meantime,
| that the inquiry would close late
today or tomorrow, and the mass of
testimony and 100 exhibits pre-
sented by both sides would be given
to the full commission for consid-
Grafton this week.
Call for Questionnaires.
Attorneys for the companies re-
quested War Department counsel to
bring to the hearing today the $4,000
missionaries filled out by civilian
and military personnel at the Pen
tagon Building and Army Air Forces
Annex in transportation survey
conducted several months ago. Ex-
aminer H. G. Mattingly, who pre-
sided in the absence of Commits
sioner William Patterson, granted
the request. .
War and Navy Departments, and
more recently the Commerce De-
partment, have petitioned the ICC
for reduction in bus fares to the
military establishments in nearby
Arlington and are advocating the
establishment of a uniform fare by
all carriers serving the area.
Franklin K. Lane, president of
the Arlington g. Fairfax Motor
Transportation Co., who aslo is serv-
ing as counsel for the company, i'm
piled during yesterdays hearing
that the War Department had
blocked adoption of the Blanding
report, which recommended a 1879
cent fare to the Pentagon Building.
The implication came when Mr..
Lane asked Maj. Paul L. Ristroph,
transportation expert for the Army,
if its adoption would not have re-
suited in an equalization of fares,
had it been allowed to become ef-
fective" by the War Department.
Maj. Ristroph admitted that a
uniform fare would find some Capt.
tai Transit Co. passengers "gravi-
tatlng" to one or more of the Vir-
ginia lines. He was then asked by
E. Barrett Prettyman, counsel for
the local company, if he would ac-
cordingly recommend that Capt.
tai Transit Co. cut down the num-
ber OF buses used on the Pentagon
run. The witness replied in the
affirmative.
Defends Roadway System.
Maj. Ristroph came to the defense
of the system of roadways in the
Pentagon area, hit last week as in
creasing bus mileage. The Army
officer said the system actually
speeded up traffic, and the savings
in time more than made up for
any adverse claims. Accidents also
had been cut down, the witness
added.
Robert T. Mitchell, vice presi-
dent and traffic manager of the
Alexandria, Bancroft & Wash
ington Transit Co., who testified
earlier that a shuttle service be-:
tween the Navy Annex and Lincoln
Memorial may be in violation of
ICC laws, was recalled to the stand.
He claimed that wage increases for
drivers now before the War Labor
Board would cost the company q
minimum of $S3 1000 year and may
run as high as "S125,0 900 or $3.50 0OO0,".
including overtime.
Also making brief reappearances
on the stand were David Kosh.
OPA analyst who has made a
study for the War Department of
the companies financial structure:
j, E. Heberle, vice president and
controller of Capital Transit, and
DR.. Edward Franklin, War Depart
ment statistician.