Evening star., 1954-10-28
CTC Proposes
Specially Store |
Shopper Plan
Offers Follows
Rejection OF Test
By Bigger Firms
I Although downtown wishing

~ :
Although downtown Washing
tons department stores have
politely rejected the Capital
Transit Co. plan for Shoppers
special" transportation privileges,
the transit firm is prepared 10
60 ahead with q similar plan in
cooperation with the downtown
speciality stores.
E. C. Giddings. a vice presi-
dent Of the company, notified
the Merchant and Manufac-
turers' Association to- this effect
today.
Mr.. Giddings' letter followed
an announcement by the asso-
citation that its Large Stores Di-
vision concluded that the COM
pany suggestion is unfeasible.
The division decided that a five
day trial would be too short to
prove anything and that an
extended trial would be "far too
costly"
Capital Transit issued q state
ment which, in effect, challenged
this basis for the department.
stores opposition.
Longer Trial Offered.
"If the five-day trial period
was the important reason for
| rejection Of the plan," the COM
pany declared, Capital Transit
is willing now as before, to ex-
tend the trial to any length Of
time the large stores consider
reasonable"
Mr.. Pritchard said today the
associations large-store division
voted as a group against trying
out the plan.
The Star said yesterday that
some of the big stores favored
the plan, but Mr.. Pritchard said
all eight firms represented at
the large-store meeting COM
sidered the plan economically
/ unsound. They are the Hecht
Co. Woodward a g. Lothrop.
Goldenberg's, Jelleff,s, Gar
finckel's. Kann's, Lansburgh's s
and Harry Kaufman, Inc.
The plan submitted by the
transit company is q modified
version Of that put into practice
in Buffalo, N. Y. In the local
transit company version. the
shopper would pay the normal
fare to the downtown shopping
area. He would receive q two
pratt ticket in exchange
| On making purchases from a
participating merchant and on
presentation Of his transit ticket
the shopper would receive D free
token for the ride home. Should
the shopper want to visit an
other store in the downtown area
one part Of his ticket could be
used as q transfer to another
Capital Transit vehicle.
These privileges would have
existed only on the r and g
streets streetcar lines between
Seventh and Fifteenth streets
NV. 6
Plan Modified.
In it's latest note to the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers AS
sociation. Capital Transit offered
a further modification, which II
is willing to put into practice
with the downtown speciality
stores.
This plan would abandon the
special ticket feature Of the
Buffalo plan" Instead, the
regular transfer now issued
would be presented to the mer-
chant, who would give the GUS
| toner a free token. The trans
fer would be stamped by the
store and returned to the shop
per, who could then enjoy exist
ing transfer privileges provided
under public utilities regulations
to travel or shop elsewhere.
The proposal is similar to the
agreement due to take effect next
Monday between Capital Transit
and the Columbia Heights Busi-
nessmen's Association. This is
set up as a 30-day trial.
/ Time Limit on Transfers.
Existing transfer restrictions,
under the Columbia Heights and
the downtown speciality stores
plans, mean that the transfers
can be used only within one to
one and one-half hours of the
time Of issuance. The transfer.
furthermore, could not be used
on the same line that issued 1t.
So far as the original plan
for downtown shoppers is con-
cerned, Mr.. Giddings said Cap
Iital Transit is still convinced 1t
could be successful only il 1t
had the complete cooperation
of the large department stores
interested in relieving down.
town traffic congestion and the
furtherance of transit USE"
Brig. Gen. Louis w. Prentiss,
District Engineer Commissioner.
said the decision Of the depart
rnent stores was "discouraging. Z
Gen. Prentiss added. however,
| that their conclusion does not
foreciose further efforts by the
| Merchants and ManIffa ctflrers'