Evening star., 1954-08-08
Creation Of Agency
For Transit Control
Blocked by Payne
By Don S. Worren

DlUIhcu Wy Tdyne
By Don S. Warren
Proposals for creation of q
Washington area transit control
commission struck a roadblock
yesterday when Senator Payne
Republican, of Maine announced
he would fight a pending COM
promise plan for such a move.
Because of his opposition, off,
cials said, there has been a delay
in the filing with the Senate OF
the compromise agreed to- July
80 by conferees from the House
and Senate.
That agreement promptly was
filed with the House by it's con-
ferees, but on this measure the
Senate must act first.
A month ago, this whole legis-
lative subject was considered
dead for this Congress, even
though the Senate had accepted
the Broyhill bill for creation of
a regional study commission on
transit, bridges, highways and
related matters. The Senate ac-
cepted this as an addition to it's
already passed bill for an area
transit control commission.
Plan Was Revived.
The measures unexpectedly
were revived on June 80 when
House-Senate conferees agreed
in a matter of 20 minutes on a
compromise of the two different
ideas.
Since then, there has been
silence. True, as some officials
said, it takes bit of time to
draft a report on such COM
plicated issues.
Yesterday. however, it was
confirmed that Senator Payne,
who headed the special subcom-
mittee that investigated Wash
ington transit problems for nine
months, has asked that the COM
promise plan be held up.
Virginia Is Key.
His prime reason was that no
real or effective answer to the
regional transit control problem
could be expected with Virginia
left out-excluded by the po-
sition taken by Virginia au-
thorities.
Senator Payne said he was op-
posed to the conference report
and would oppose it in the Sem
ate if it was called up for action.
The present membership of
the District Public Utilities Com
mission, he said. is doing IAN ad-
mirable job" and should be al
lowed to go ahead without hav-
ing its Jurisdiction over mass
transportation here taken away
and transferred to a three
member body to represent near
by Maryland and the District.
The Maine Senator also said
he was disappointed over the
failure of the House to act on
Senate-passed bills designed to
strengthen the powers and work
of the District Utilities Commis-
sion.
Cites "Omnibus" Bill.
He referred to the so-called
omnibus transit bill recon-
mended by the Payne investi-
eating group; a measure for con-
troll over dividends paid by Dis
trict utilities; and a conflict of
interest" bill to prevent regula-
tory officials from representing
affected businesses within two
years after they may leave city
government regulatory jobs.
One key member of the House
Interstate and Foreign Com
rllerce Committee yesterday also
denounced the compromise utili-
ties control plan as a "tWo-leg-
ged stool"-referring to the rec
commended exclusion of Virginia.
He said he didn't want to be
quoted. but made clear he didn't
like compromise. He suggested
that the whole issue be deferred
to next year.
A cause of some controversy
has been the question of COM
mittee jurisdiction and who were
named conferees. For instance,
the House Commerce Commit
tee was not represented. The
House conferees were three
members of the District Com
mittee. The House Commerce
Committee had hearings and
spent a lot of time considering
the regional control plan but as
yet has taken no action.
House representatives on the
conference group were District
Committee members Kearns of
PENNSYLVANIA and Broyhill of
Virginia, Republicans, and Davis
of Georgia, Democrat.
Likewise. Senate managers"
in the Conference were three
Commerce Committee members,
Schoeppel of Kansas and Butler
of Maryland, Republicans, and
johnson, Democrat, of Colorado,
the latter the author of the
original bill for a regional con-
troll commission. There was no
representation from the Senate
District Committee, although it
had spent a lot of time and
money exploring the Washington
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