Evening star., 1952-03-09
Daylight Time,
Transit Probe
Up This Week
House Members Study
Putterson's Report
Asking Inquiry
By Harold B. ROGERS

troversy over the Capital Transi
Co., and a proposed increase il
the gasoline tax are the District
legislative problems to come up il
Congress this week.
Legislation to give the city head
authority to order daylight tim,
here for only one year comes vi
for action on the House floor to
morrow. The bill, approved b.
the House District Committee
throws into the House again tn
same controversy over dayligh
saving time which has agitate'
Congress ever since wartime ma
tional daylight observance wen
out.
If the House should pass tn
one-year-only daylight bill. tn
measure would go to the Senat
which already has approved leg
islation to give the District Com
misSioners permanent authority
District Day Tomorrow.
If past years precedent is fol
lowed, the Senate would agree tt
the House version, and clocks her,
would be set forward one houl
from the last Sunday in Apri
until the last Sunday in Septem'
ber.
Several minor local bills als'
will be considered by the Hous'
tomorrow on District Day. Sc
aside for Washington legislation
Controversy over the Capita
Transit Co. is up for consideration
by the House District Committe,
at 10:30 am. Wednesday. A repor
made by Representative Patterson.
Republican, of Connecticut at th'
committees request, will be con
Sidered.
Mr.. Patterson's report, copies O.
which have been given to all com
mittee members, suggests th'
Interstate Commerce Commission
take jurisdiction over the CTC
ICC Report Included.
It includes several exhibits from
the ICC, including a report BY
ICC examiners who recommended
against the four-to-one split II
Capital Transit stock. This spill
later was approved by the ICC.
When the PUG approved the
stock split fixing par value al
$17.50 per share instead of the
proposed $25, the Patterson re.
port said, this was to eliminate
an Intangible asset of $3.50. .00(
which the PUG had already ex.
cluded from rate consideration
Such a move was definitely ar
act in the public interest,"" Mr.
Patterson said. "and offsets some
of the criticism Of PUC."
"But," he declared" on q re-
corded investment basis, there is
sti1l carried q capitalizable invest.
ment, an item of $461 Alb which
is physical property allegedly moi
devoted to public use in the serv.
ice Of transportation.
Unable to Get Breakdown.
"I understand" he added, "thert
are also carried in the investment
account 106 street cars and IL
buses inactive since 1929. I have
been unable to get a breakdown
on this item. I am informed CTC
is now disposing of these obsolete
vehicles, and presumably eliminat-
ing this item from the investment
account"
Another exhibit, the Public
Utilities Commission decision Of
January 4, granting an increase o1
10 cents in the weekly pass. is in
cluded. "It will be noted" the Pat
terson report says, that the
p p. q. C. overruled the findings
and recommendations Of its OWL
technical staff"
Referring to dividends paid BY
CTC. while service was being cur.
tailed. the Patterson report point.
ed to the recent speech by CTC
President j. A. B. Broadwater
asking for 71a per cent return or
investment. or sale of the property
to the city.
No Word From Civic Groups.
Apparently" said the Patter.
son report" he expects to be
granted another fare hike to pay
q fair dividend out of earning.
rather than the depleted surplus
Otherwise. the Congress is expect
ed to appropriate funds to pur.
chase CTC at the present inflated
market level to be operated as s
Government enterprise"
Copies of the Broadwatel
speech to the Board of Trade have
been furnished all District com.
mittee members.
While votelesS Washington resi-.
dents have been highly vocal
"about blaming Congress for al
shortcomings in the District Gov.
ernment" the Patterson report
said 81 have not received from
local civic groups requests for {
Congressional investigation of tht
Capital Transit Company" Somt
civic groups were reported making
studies Of the District traffi,
problem, but none Of them hat
conferred with him, the law.
maker said.
Hearing On Gas Tax.
Whether the District Committe,
will approve Mr.. Patterson's pro
poSal for an investigation, esti
mated to cost somewhere between
100000 and $150,0O0 is a ques
ton. Some indications last nigh
were that the committee nigh
turn down the proposal, leavin
the problem up to the P. u. C.
Mr.. Patterson said he wante,
to take no further personal par
In any investigation of the com
pany.
ro,.o,>ornd incraaca ~ 4J,n r1;r