Evening star., 1952-06-13
Hearing Sought
On Area Transit
Commission Bill
Crosser Presses
For Action; Senote
. Group Bocks Plan
By Harold B. Rooers

The House Commerce Commit
tee may decide today whether
to hold hearings on legislation to
set up a Washington Metropoli-
tan Area Transit Commission.
Committee Chairman Crosser
Democrat, of Ohio. said he would
place the matter before his unit
in closed session.
Mr.. Crosser has introduced
legislation for such an area COM
mission. 1t is identical with the
measure already reported to the
Senate by its Commerce Com
mittee.
Procedure usually followed in
the House group. Mr. Crosser said,
is to name a subcommittee to
hold hearings.
Mr.. Crosser conferred briefly
yesterday on the Washington
problem with Representative
Beall. Republican, of Maryland.
Mr.. Beall. candidate for Senator.
also has introduced an area
transit commission bill in the
House, identical with that in the
Senate.
The need for the area commits
sion was stressed in a formal
report filed late yesterday in the
Senate by Senator johnson, DEM
ocrat, of Colorado sponsor of the
legislation.
Complications Cited.
In a lengthy report sending the
bill to the chamber for action, the
lawmaker declared the transit pat
tern has become so complicated
here that Congress should solve
it by a unified regulatory agency
The commission would be a
three-member body, appointed by
the President from the District,
Maryland and Virginia. Commits
sloners would be subject to Senate
confirmation.
Regulations would be issued by
the commission over public street.
car. bus and taxi service operat-
ing inside the District and between
the city and neighboring States.
Senator johnson asserted that,
over the last few years, "investi-
cations. studies. reports and rec
concentrations have all been made
with monotonous regularity by
many groups, public, private, for
NAL and informal" on the transit
problem.
"Yet," he declared" the Com
Committee notes this prob
lem has grown increasingly worse. )"
Boundaries Disrupt Unity.
zone fundamental factor is
considered to be basically respon-
sible. In an area which is eco
nomically and sociologically uni
fed, multiplicity of political
has caused the regula-
ton of public transportation to be
conducted in unrelated pieces and
parts.
"As a result, a system of con-
Meeting lines has developed in
stead of a system of through
routes with transfer privileges.
Almost all the specific problems
Of rates and fares, routes, stops,
schedules, etc, have evolved from
this unfortunate condition.
But 1t is a condition which,
Congress is capable of solving and
one which the Congress should
solve."
The closely knit Metropolitan
Area. the Senator said, "is pres
emily served by a transit industry
consisting of some IA distinct and
separate operating companies"
Further conflict and confusion
have been brought about, he
charged, "by the existence of four
regulatory bodies, more or less
regulating public transportation in
this area, each of which acts in
dependently and sometimes at
odds with each other"
Sees Vicious Cycle.
The proposed single area COM
as a regulatory body for
the Metropolitan Area, the Senator
said. would not be a panacea to
all transit problems. but it would
be decided improvement over
present arrangement"
Despite the increase in popula-
ton Of the region here by 6 per
cent from 1947 to 1850. the report
pointed out, the number of reve-
hue passengers carried by four
major lines in the area decreased