Evening star., 1953-06-03
Transit Riders
AssaiI Plan 10
Increase Fare
Small Wage Eorners
Seen Hardest Hit BY
Witness at Hearing
By John w. Sfepp

py JOIN W. Stepp
The Capital Transit Co. rate
increase hearing began today
with a slim, but outspoken, pub
lie representation on hand to
state its opposition.
Capital Transit seeks to in
crease its annual gross revenues
by ,$2.3 million by q fare sched-
ule consisting Of 2O-cent cash
rides, tokens flve for 95 cents
and elimination Of the weekly
pass. This gross increase would
be subject to So per cent Federal
and District taxes.
Transit riders were given their
say this morning at the outset
Of the hearing.
Punishment for Aged.
MRS. Raymond Heiskell, who
said she spoke for ''24 ladies
from the District Home for the
Aged" declared higher fares
would be punishment for the in
mates since one Of their chief
recreations is riding about town
on the transit system.
Another witness. Miss Alice
Dooley Of 739 Newton place
NV, asserted that the small
wage earnerS who are the sup
port Of the company will be the
the principal sufferers under a
rate increase. Miss Dooley went
on to say she can barely afford
aspirin and 25-cent paper bound
books. the cost of living being
what it is now. Higher fares,
she added, will curb my social
life" and neceSSitate her shop
ping within walking distance of
her home, since she will not be
able to afford transit rides.
"A call for reducing the fares
Of, all children of school age to
apply after school hours was
made by Mrs. Edward A. Morris
Of 1915 Ridge place Sc.
Cites Dividend Announcements.
1ynwood Cundiff Of the King
man Park Civic Association
criticized what he called the
Company'S practice of repeatedly
coming before the District Public
Utilities Commission for rate
increases while declaring divi-
dendS with wartime profits"
Other witnesses were j. C.
Jardine Of the District Young
Republican Club, who asked that
rate increase action be deferred
until this Congress can complete
an Investigation of the transit
company: Alfred A. McGarraghy
of the Washington Restaurant
Association, who contended abo-
lition OF the weekly pass would
injure downtown merchants, and
Mrs. Gertrude Evans of the Dis
trict Progressive Party.
In the company'S opening
statement, Controller Robert E..
Harvey argued the requested in
crease is needed to Offset employe
wage increases and higher gaSo-
line taxes.
Commission Criticized.
MIR. Harvey also criticized the
commissions continued inclu-
sion Of the weekly pass in the
fare structure when sales of the
pass, he said, have declined %
per cent since last August. He
chided Congress, as well, for
failing to act on a bill that
would permit increasing the
''ridiculouSly low" three-cent
school fare.
I'm asking for these proposed
rates." the controller declared,
I'VE have given consideration to
operating economies, but such
economies have not been suffi-
cient to offset the, increased op-
Grating costs or the deficiency in
earnings"
Meanwhile, Edward A. Roberts,
head of a New York firm of
engineering consultantS, is the
specialist picked by the commits
sion to study the fare structure
Of the company.
Commission Chairman Robert
e. Mclaughlin made the an
nouncement late yesterday. Mr..
Mclaughlin said also that Mr..
Roberts will have an assistant,
William H. Ahearn, Of the same
Arm.
$4,000 for COnsuItants.
Together. the consuItants' serv-
ices will cost about $4,000, the
commission chairman estimated.
This sum will be charged to the
transit company under q provi-
sion Of the Public Utilities Act
governing the District.
This will not be Mr.. Roberts
hrSt assignment here. In 1887,
he was hired by the transit flrm
well before the present owner
ship took over-to do an evalu-
alton study Of the company's
property. The expert is no re-
lation to the william A. Roberts
of the law firm to which MIR. Nc
Laughlin belonged before he was
named to the commission.
The Roberts study, Chairman
Mclaughlin made clear, will aug
ment the findings Of the COM
mission staff.