Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-24
Capital Transit
Head and Two
Aides TO Retire
Merrill, HeberIe and
Koonz Due TO Step
Out Next Month
By Donald B. HodIey

by Uonoid b. 1odtey
Edward D. Merrill, president O.
the Capital Transit Co. for l.
years; j. Edward Heberle, vict
president and controller, and c. B
Koontz, treasurer, expect to retire
April 10 at the time OF the annua
stockholders and directors meet.
mRs.
Mr.. Merrill, who is a past presi.
dent of the American Transit AS.
ISOLATION. has had a distinguished
career in the transit field and has
been active in Washington civic
and business affairs. He is second
vice president of the Washington
Board of Trade.
Both Mr.. Heberle and Mr.
Koontz have been employees of the
company A. years, having entered
the service of a predecessor COM
pany in 1907.
There has been no announce
ment by the company as to who
will succeed the three retiring ex-
ecutiveS, but it is expected that
j. A. B. Broadwater, executive vice
president, who joined the COM
pany after the Louis E. Wolfson
group took control in September
1949, will become president
Doran S. Weinstein, vice president
and secretary, is a member of the
controlling group and may be
slated for promotion.
Stock Splitup Plan Pending.
Public interest in the company
has been intensified in the last
year by its proposed 4-for-1 stock
splitup, doubling of its dividend,
its battle against higher power
rates to be charged by Potomac
Electric Power Co., its plan to drop
eight suburban Maryland lines
and threat of union demands
for higher wages when the cur
rent contract expires June 80.
Decisions on the stock splitup
are pending before both the Dis
trict Public Utilities Commission
and the Interstate Commerce
Commission. The higher power
costs are scheduled to start April
20. Hearings were held on the
suburban lines elimination at
Silver Spring this week. The
union demands, still in the
formative state, are expected to
be announced shortly.
M. Merrill has been active ir.
tie Washington Board of Trade
&c many years. He was elected
director in 1947 and last year
served as board secretary ard
vice chairman of the boards
Greater National Capital Com
mittee.
Before coming here in 1926 as
! president of the Washington
Rapid Transit Co., later merged
with Capital Transit, Mr.. Merrill
served as an executive of transit
: systems in Milwaukee, Chicago
and Philadelphia. With the merg-
er into Capital Transit in 1886,
he became vice president and
general manager In March, 1897,
he became president.
Merrill Native of Iowa.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa,
he is a graduate of Grinnell Col
lege, Iowa, and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. He is a
netional councillor. United States
Chamber of Commerce; a director
of Riggs National Bank. vice
president and director of Transit
Research Corp. and a member of
the Cosmos, Metropolitan and
Rotary Clubs.
Mr.. Heberle came to Washing
ton and entered the employee of
the transit company in 1907. He
was assistant to the president at
the time of the company's merger
with Washington Railway & Elec-
trio Co. He has been vice president
and controller since the present
company started operations in
December, 1888.
He is past president Of the
District Control, Controllers In
stitute of America; a member of
the Rotary Club, Columbia Coun-
try Club and has been active in
the American Transit Association.
Mr.. Koontz became treasurer
of the company on April 10. 1850,
as successor to H. D. Champion,
who retired. Previously he had
been assistant treasurer.
Stock Ownership Disclosed.
In a proxy statement sent to
stockholders today accompanying
proxies for the annual meeting,
the company reported that on re-
tirement Mr.. Merrill will receive
$9.178 a year. His annual salary,
fees and commissions were listed
as $4,000 a year.
The statement also included Mr.
Merrill among Is nominated for
election as directors.
The statement added that Louis
E. Wolfson was the only person,
to the knowledge of the manage
ment, who owns of record or bene-
f1cially more than 10 per cent of
the company's stock. His holdings
were reported as ia shares of
record and 54,810 shares owned
beneficially, direct and indirect
His wife was listed as the owner
of another 1000 shares.
Holdings of other members of
the Wolfson group who have been
nominated for the board follow:
E. B. Gerbert, 4,867 shares; Jack
Surasky, assistant to the executive
vice president. 1857: Mr.. Vein
stein, 5,367; Cecil Wolfson, 12,867;
Sam w. Wolfson. 1905.
In addition Mr.. Gerbert, Mr.
Surasky, Mr.. Weinstein, Cecil
Wolfson and Sam w. Wolfson
were listed as holders of indirect