Evening star., 1953-11-29
Senator's Start Quiz
This Week on District
Transit Services
By Don S. Warren

wi - w SNtSb n
The Senate's full-scale inquiry
into Washington's streetcar and
bus services will advance into a
series of formal hearings, begin
ming tomorrow, against a back
drop of an almost certain fur
'ther increase in fares soon.
Chairman Robert E. Nc
Laughlin and his associates on
the District Public Utilities Com
mission say they expect to issue
an order by mid-December on
the latest Capital Transit Co.
call for higher fares.
What the new rate schedule
will be is yet to be determined.
That there will be an increase,
however, doesn't seem much in
doubt, what with rising wages
and other costs and with mass
transportation rates in other.
large cities even exceeding those
here. 81. So
Indications are the increases
will amount to considerably less
than the $874,000 boost in reve-
nues sought by the company,
which it said would give it a
rate of return of TIT per cent.
But. unless commission men,
bers change their present think
ing, indications are that there
will be some boost in the II
cent cash fare and a lesser in
crease in the token rate, now
five for rs cents.
May Abolish S2.4O Pass.
In addition. favorable consid-
Grafton apparently is being piven
to proposals to abolish the
present $2.40 weekly pass, as
demanded by the company, but
also to substitute a cheaper
weekly permit" on which there
would be an additional charge
maybe of 10 cents-for each
CAO4 q 4dCs
The company fought proposals
for adoption of a permit-plus
cash plan during the four
months of hearings in the rate
case from June 3 to October /.
1t insisted there should be COM
plete abolition of the whole pass
deal.
There seems to be strong SEN
timent in the commission and
elsewhere, however, for some kind
Of a weekly permit, with some
extra cash payment per ride,
which would encourage increased
patronage of mass transporta-
tion while at least reducing the
alleged "abuses" of the unlimited
weekly pass.
Other Formulas Studied.
While commission members ap-
pear to be in rather general
agreement on these rate "philo-
sophies," it is said they are con-
sidering a half dozen somewhat
different formulas designed to
carry them out.
Open public hearings before
the Payne Subcommittee of the
Senate District Committee-i-.
nanced by a $4,000 grant from
the Senate-are to begin at 10
am. Tuesday in Room 303 of
the Senate Office Building.
These will be preceded, how
ever, by a cloSed-door hearing
tomorrow for some spokesmen
as yet unidentified, for the Inter-
state Commerce Commission.
The Senate Committee may
have other questions to ask of
1CC officials, but it seemed prob
able they would be asked to COM
ment on at least two past deal
ings in CTC stock.
Small and Hyde to Testify.
Tuesdays public hearing is
to be opened with statements
from two members of Congress
from nearby areas. They are
Representatives Hyde and Small
of Maryland both Republicans,
who have taken active interest in
legislative moves for metropolis
tan controls over transportation
services.
Present and former officials
of the Capital Transit Co. are to
take the stand Wednesday. If
all citizen witnesses have not
been heard by that time, they
are to take the stand later in
the week.
One of the witnesses called for
the Wednesday session is Clark
M. Clifford, former legal adviser
to former President Harry S.
Truman. who has been in private
law practice here since February
l. 1859. Shortly thereafter he
was announced as having been
put on a retainer as a legal ad-
| wiser to the Capital Transit Co.