Evening star., 1952-05-21
Poor Transit Service
In Washington Area
Charged at Hearing
Criticism Is Leveled
At Regulatory Bodies
Along With Companies
By Don S. Worren

Streetcar and bus riders today
complained of slow, inefficient
and expensive service in the Wash
ington area and called on Con-
gress for immediate relief.
At hearings before the Senate
Commerce Committee, regional
spokesmen urged adoption of two
measures:
/. The Johnson-O'C Conor- Butler
resolution authorizing regulatory
compactS between the District,
Maryland and Virginia, and sug-
gesting creation of a metropolitan
transit authority.
2. The. Byrd-Robertson-Beall
bill directing the Interstate Com
merce Commission to make an i'm
mediate, detailed investigation of
metropolitan service and fares.
IA Different Concerns.
The hearings, to- be resumed
tomorrow, are the result of years
of protest over inadequate serv-
ices and steadily increasing fares
by IA different bus and streetcar
companies serving suburban and
District areas.
Witnesses today criticized reg
ulatory agencies as well as at the
companies. There are four agen-
cieS-the Interstate Commerce
Commission, concerned only with
interstate matters; the District
Public Utilities Commission, the
Maryland Public Service Commits
sion and the Virginia State Cor
poration Commission.
With few exceptions these
agencies have failed to collab-
'orate. one of today's principal
witnesses declared.
He was Gerald j. Glassman, an
assistant to the Arlington County
Public Utilities Commission.
Empowered to Act Jointly.
Each of the four regulatory
agencies has powers to meet CO.
operatively, to make studies and
to hold hearings jointly. Each
has power to take action either
jointly or individually on the
basis of joint decisions" he said.
THAT they have not done so,
in spite of many requests. in
dicates either that they are
deliberately avoiding their re-
sponsibilities or that they are not
convinced of the necessity for
joint action"
Another of today's dozen wit
nesSeS was Don S. Wilmer, speak
ing for the American Veterans
Committee Of Greater Washing
ton.
He contended that the refusal
of the Capital Transit Co. to hire
Negro operators, when the COM
pany needs 200 more, is costing
transit riders an unnecessary
100000 a year.
MIR. Wilmer quoted company
figures to show it is paying almost
that sum year in overtime rates
because of the artificial" short
age in the operating force.
Other Witnesses Heard.
Other witnesses included o. B.
Allen, chairman of the Arlington
County PUG; Malcolm D. Mil
Ter, for the Arlington County Civic
Federation, and Edmund D.
Campbell. former chairman of the
Arlington County Board and the
Arlington PUG, now q candi-
date for election to the House
from the 10th Virginia district.
Other witnesses scheduled to be
heard included spokesman for
Montgomery. Prince Georges and
Fairfax Counties.
The witnesses urged enactment
OF both measures. But they pro-
tested that from two to four years
would be needed to put in effect
the compact plan because approval
would be needed by the Legis-
latures of Maryland and Virginia.
A general session of the Virginia
legislature, they stressed, is not
scheduled until 1854. They said
approval might be delayed until
1856.