davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1955-07-10
Detroit's Citizens Contented
With local Public Ownership

trouble since, although it has a
jurisdictional situation to contend
with inasmuch as its Office workers
belong to another AFL union and
its maintenance men to a CIO
union.
The strike had other results. The
State labor law, previously untested,
was ruled constitutional by the
Michigan Supreme Court, and up
held through the back door when
the United States Supreme Court
refused to review the decision.
The DSR management stream
lined operations when service was
resumed. 1t dropped some streetcar
service, combined other routes and
in Mr.. Nowicki's words, "regained
control of the system"
The DSR has a monopoly on
supplying public transportation, ex-
cept for taxicabs, in the city's l39
square miles of area. Its service
area is somewhat larger-l74 square
miles with population of 2,150 900.
Like most transit systems. the
DSR is worried about decreasing
patronage and increasing costs. Its
buses, streetcars and trolley coaches
are outnumbered nearly 500 to one
by private automobiles and trucks
on the city's streets. 1t has seen
its patronage decline to 225 mill
lion riders this year-or less than
half of the 492 million revenue pas
sengers 1t carried in I945, the last
year Of World War II. Thus De-
troit's transit system-serving twice
the population served by Capital
Transit, carries only about the same
number of riders.)
Labor Costs High
The DSR's labor costs are high,
taking approximately 67 cents out
OF each dollar that comes in from
fares. Much Of this cost results
from the DSRs payments into a
pension fund for its employees.
These payments amounted to S4.3
million in the fiscal year that ended
June 80.
mo other transit system pays
anything like II per cent of its
income into q pension fund" Mr..
Nowicki says.
The bills for the last fiscal year
are not all in yet. Mr.. Nowicki
adds. but he and system auditors
expect the DSR will show a profit
Of around $500.000 for l954-55.
The system has cash fare Of 20
cents, with tickets at 171a cents,
and some express service at IS
cents. Transfers are free.
It has been in the black, making
money, since fares we're last raised
in September, 1852.
What is ahead for the DSR in
the next few years can only be
guessed at, according to Mr.. Mo-
wicki. who is paid $4,000 a year
to run the system.
The exodus of industry to the
suburbs and the development Of
suburban shopping centers have
and are affecting transit operations.
he says.
But Detroit. principally because
Of high auto production, Is boom.
ing. And the DSR is getting its
share Of the business.
Evening star., 1955-07-10
Maryland Metropolis Likes
Absentee Privote Ownership

The fare rate is now Is cents
straight, 20 cents on express runs
and 10 cents extra in suburban
zones.
Service Cutbocks
The company has been eliminate
ing non-profitable lines and con-
verting from streetcar to bus oper-
ations. The system still has five
rail lines. three of which run
through the downtown area, and six
trackless trolley lines. Thirty bus
lines are now operating.
AS a further means of increasing
profits, service is being revised, to
the accompaniment Of howls of
protest. Some lines are getting only
: occasional trips in place Of all-day
operations and others have had
schedules drastically curtailed.
In addition, the number of en-
ployeS has dropped from 5000 af-
fected by the 1852 strike to a force
Of about $500.
Following the 1852 strike, August
Heneke. former executive vice presi-
dent Of the Chesapeake g. Potomac
Telephone Co. was replaced as
president of the BIC by Douglas
M. Pratt, National City Lines ex-
ecutive. When Mr.. Pratt moved to
Philadelphia (where another Ma
tional City Lines subsidiary op-
erates). Dale w. Barratt, another
National City Lines official, replaced
him here.
No Public Ownership
Both men openly advocate mu-
nicipal ownership of transit sys-
TENS, in line with National Citys
stated policy of selling out when
ever possible. But when Mr.. Pratt
proposed in 1852 that the City buy
the BIC. he got this response from
Mayor D'Alesandro:
"Flatly no."
The City Council president de-
clared that the offer was phony
and that the BIC made the pro-
poSal only TO support lCS' demand
for fare increase.
Politicians generally saw munich
pal operations of the transit system
as nothing more than a headache.
IF the city owned the transit line
we would be getting all the squawks
every time a bus was late. Let
them squawk to the company" one
of the councilmen said.
Transit was an issue In the last
city election after Louis r. Milo,
candidate for the Republican nom
ination for mayor, said he favored
the city buying the BIC. Mr.. Milo
got one of the smallest votes ever
accorded a candidate.
Mayor D'Alesandro, who ran sue
cessfully for reelection, indicated
his awareness of the need for i'm
proving Baltimore's mass transpor-
tation facilities by promising to
appoint a citizens committee to
study the problem. This drew from
the Baltimore Sun the editorial
warning that municipal ownership
Is not o "sure" cure.
"a. It does not follow that
because the municipality as such is
seeking for Q solution, the pur-
Evening star., 1955-07-10
Service

Leading the other-things-being-
equal list Is the factor Of service,
Washingtonians dislike Mr.. Wolf
son for the diminishing quality of
Capital Transit service.
Strike. Right now, of course,
there is no service at all, and the
public is inclined to blame MIR.
Wolfson. His spokesmen plead In
ability to pay the requested wage
increase. On the bare face of TO-
days balance sheet, the company
Is right.
But the Wolfson management de-
clined to discuss q pay increase
which would be contingent on q
fare increase, or to permit a public
fact-finder to examine its ability
or inability to pay, or to put the
whole thing into the hands Of an
arbitrator, who could, despite COM
pany statements to the contrary,
base his decision on ability to pay.
Certainly management's attitude
did nothing to avert or delay a
strike. But other transit lines are
having strikes now. and it is at least
worth raising the question whether
this strike or some future strike
would not be inevitable under Diff
ferent Capital Transit management.
Speed. During rush hours there
is almost no slower way of getting
through the downtown area than
to go Capital Transit. Customers
hate the showdown and blame Mr..
Wolfson.
All parties concerned agree that
speed Is at the heart of Capital
Transit's trouble. If service was
faster, more customers would ride.
and cost Of operation would dimin-
1sh. Surveys have shown that speed
is more important than cost in de-
termining the number of transit
passengers.
II is traffic congestion that slows
down busses and streetcars. Mr.,
Wolfson can't be blamed for the
increased use Of autos, but his poor
relations with the public have made
1t extremely difficult to get motor
lists and downtown merchants to
give up traffic lanes or parking
space to speed up Capital Transit
service.
cutbacks. "Unprofitabls" lines
Evening star., 1955-07-10
The HERO Of THE cEAmd confusion resulting

ment. Then the interim boost would
be incorporated into any subsequent
fare ruling based on the now-pend-
ing CTC request for q boost to
bring earnings closer to the legal
maximum. The effect could be two
increases in fares In rapid success
sion.
. The Morse proposal was another
possible path to q settlement. He
suggested the wage issue go to an
arbitration board and that the
legislative and executive branches
work out q plan to finance any
wage increase decided on. Mean
Evening star., 1955-07-10

chase of the existing transit COM
pany and its facilities should be a
part of that solution" the Sun said.
Though doubtless the present
owners of the company would be
glad to have the. city buy them out
at a good profit such a conclusion
will Ne reached long time in the
future if it is reached at ALL" the
editorial added.
I'm some cities, the municipality
has acquired the transit company,
at great cost to the taxpayers. But
we have yet to hear that such a
purchase had Cd improved the
service, ca reduced fares or (3)
solved the traffic problem.
"In most cases it seems to have
been case of out of the frying
pan into the fire. with additional
taxes imposed to keep the system
working at ALL" the Sun concluded.
Union Says No
The AFL Transit Workers Union
also opposes municipal ownership.
The union does, however, favor the
establishment of a municipal agency
to take over regulation of the tran
sit system from the State Public
Service Commission.
According to the union, the State
regulatory agency had failed to
force the BIC to comply with mini
mum requirements for service to
the public.
The BTC's severest critic. the late
Herbert Levy. made the most force
full argument against its sale to the
city.
Those who believe in free enter
prise would like to avoid any in
vasion Of free enterprise in the
urban mass transportation field"
Mr.. Levy declared.
Evening star., 1955-07-10
Public Relations

Mr.. Wolfson cares little for public
relations. He is well liked by his
acquaintance, but he has no more
than casual interest in what the
general public thinks about him.
Last year he hired a high-powered
team of press agents to help in his
campaign to win control of Mont
gomery Ward, but his pitch was
made principally to stockholders
who were in a position to do him
some good.
In Washington his company has
managed to look bad most of the
time--so bad there has been specu-
lation that the Wolfson group
planned it that way. The adverse
public reaction started when his
spokesman told the Interstate Com
merce Commission he would keep
See w0LFsON. Page All
Evening star., 1955-07-10

while, there would be some sort Of
District operation Of the transit
company. The big catch here was
arbitration. The company was
adamant against it.
. A plan by Representative Joel
I. Broyhill, Republican Of Virginia,
was simpler and more drastic. He
would authorize the Federal Gov
ernment to seize Capital Transit
and then order workers back on
their Jobs as Federal employees.
Another long-range proposal by
senator Morse would revoke the
franchise OF Capital Transit. This,
Evening star., 1955-07-10

- ~~-~.~~ - @@@~
Like a monotonic Benny Good
man, he stood in the intersection
and blew a staccato tune on his
whistle. Like shirt-sleeved Sto-
kowski, he waved his arms at the
flood of traffic bearing down on
him.
Thanks to the cop. people were
yetting to work with a minimum of
blood, sweat and tears. And If the
cops job was tough, it was hardly
thankless. Congress started seri-
ously considering a pay raise for
him, and there was even talk Of
overtime pay for his long and tiring
days on duty.
While the police were keeping
traffic jams to INSTRUMENTATION
levels, the city fathers in the Dis
trict Building and on Capitol Hill
tried to settle the strike. They were
considerably less successful than
the traffic policemen.
Negotiating meetings sponsored
by the District Commissioners and
by Federal mediators failed to
change the situation. The union
still wanted q 25-cents-an-hour
raise plus fringe benefits, but was
willing to take its case to arbitra-
ton. The company said it had no
money to pay even a penny and
would not put its financial fate into
the hands Of q third party.
That Just about took care of the
solution President Eisenhower Of
fered early in the week-practically
continuous negotiations by both
sides. It was clear that a settle
ment had to come from outside.
Senate Hearings
In q hearing before the Senate
District Committee. all parties con-
cerned had suggestions as to where
that outside break had to come
from.
Committee members, District
Commissioners, public utilities
commissioners and union spokes-
men believed that Louis E. Wolfson,
chairman Of the board of Capital
Transit. was the key to a strike set
tlement. Mr.. Wolfson was on the
West Coast. remaining aloof from
the strike crisis.
District Committee members. par
ticularly Wayne Morse, Democrat of
Oregon, were angry at the transit
chief and wanted to rake him over
the Goals. After an exchange of
rather impolite kilograms last week,
Mr.. Wolfson agreed to come to
Washington tomorrow and submit
Evening star., 1955-07-10
Is WoIfson to Blame,
Or Are Conditions?

have been cut back or eliminated.
The suburbs in Maryland have been
particularly hard hit. Each reduce
ton in service, however, must be
approved by the District or Mary
land Public Utilities Commissions.
That is small comfort to persons
who lose their bus transportation.
however.
Lures. District Committee ques-
tioning Of Capital Transit officials
last week indicated they probably
will jump Mr.. Wolfson for failure
to seek out new customers. The
Senators apparently believe a little
fossier service here and there and
more aggressive attempt to solve
the speed problem can bring in
added revenue.
There is q question, however.
whether the company could think
up any customer lures that would
make q profit. CTC tried re-
served-seat commuter service, but
found few buyers. It co-operated
after some delay-in fringe park
ing experiments. but so far the
special service has not paid OF.
The Senators would like to know,
however, why Mr.. Wolfson has not
Experimental more-perhapS with
cheap downtown loop service, or
special shopper rates or open-air
excursion buses.
Mr.. Wolfson is sure to tell the
Senate that such frills do not pay
their way. On the other hand,
each good vigorous try to bring In
new fares helps Mr.. Wolfson dispel
the popular belief that he doesn't
really want 10 run q transit system
--that he wants to pressure the
city iilto buying Capital Transit
from him.
Evening star., 1955-07-10
Dividends

Riders resent the fact that Capt.
tai Transit has paid out about 81
million In dividends during the
Wolfson reign. Most OF the money
came from q large reserve built up
by previously undistributed profits.
Purpose Of this surplus was future
expansion.
Greatly oversimplified, here is
what Mr.. Wolfson and his immedi-
lte associates have done financially
Ince 1949:
They bought in for roughly $2.2
million. They have since taken out
approximately SO million in divi-
dends. They have disposed of
roughly 18 per cent of the COM
pany's total outstanding stock at an
estimated return Of about SIT mil
lion. The present market value
of their current holdings is about
$2.7 million.
So the Wolfson group has, in six
years, realized almost IS million on
an investment Of $2.2 million, holds
stock worth half q million dollars
more than was originally invested,
and still has control of the multi
million dollar company.
Should Mr.. Wolfson pay such
large dividends-especially those
out Of surplus--in years when Capt.
tai Transit clearly faces q financial
crisis? Should that money not be
used to keep fares down. to meet
union demands and to form a rainy
day fund?
Mr.. Wolfson ridicules such sug-
gestions. These are his reasons for
this attitude: The money was
earned by the company in accord
ance with PUG regulations and
belongs only to the stockholders:
the stockholders, after many star
vation years, finally are getting
some of the money long past due;
unless private management is ade-
quately rewarded, the company
cannot remain in private hands.
Mr.. Wolfson says also that Capt.
tai Transit stockholders have no
more obligation to use their money
to subsidize transit riders than do,
say, Riggs National Bank stock
holders.
The law and the PUG seem to
be on MIR. Wolfson's side. He is re-
quired to pay wages out of current
income, not past profits, and the
PUG is required to set fares at
rate that will cover current ex-
penses and yield reasonable profit.
Evening star., 1955-07-10

however. would be a long process
that could help settle the strike only
II 1t scared the Wolfson manage
ment.
While these avenues to settle
ment were being explored the Court
OF Appeals here added q possible
complication to the transit picture.
In a decision referring back to the
1854 transit fare increase the court
raised the question of whether the
PUG was justified in using the
original cost" value Of the COM
pany as base in determining rate
Of return and fares.
Evening star., 1955-07-10

The easiest thing for the public
to put its finger on when asked
what's wrong with Louis Wolfson
is the series of fare increases that
have been put into effect since the
Wolfson management took over in
1949. When Mr.. Wolfson came to
town the cash fare was 13 cents. II
went to Is cents in 1850, to II cents
IN 1852 and to 20 cents in 1854.
Consider these facts: Fares have
doubled in the past 10 years; labor
pressure for wages comparable to
those in other industries seems to
make further fare boosts inevitable;
the suburban building boom is
lengthening transit lines and dilut-
ing rider patronage; the number of
riders has been cut In half since
1915; improbable runs have been
cut back.
This may seem to be a picture of
Capital Transit, but 1t is not. 1t
Is the national picture, as described
in q survey last week by the Wall
Street Journal.
But 1t indicates Capital Transit's
fare structure may not be entirely
Mr.. Wolfson's fault. For all over
the Nation, companies run by peo-
pie visibly more benevolent than
Mr.. Wolfson-companies owned pri-
vately and publicly-have doubled
their fares and cut back their serv-
Ice and lost their customers.
The fare increases here have all
been Justified" That is to say,
each increase had to be sold to the
Public Utilities Commission. Mr..
Wolfson, to his publicly expressed
regret, cannot raise fares by decree.
And there is no indication the PUG
bows easily to his will.
So there Is q real question
whether, other things being equal.
fares would be any different under
q different management.
Evening star., 1955-07-10
TRANSIT REVIEW
Strike Pinches> Doesn't Cripple, City

Amid confusion and strife and Nationwide
ain of the Piece there emerged Washington last
lost unexpected hero.
He was the overworked underpad and generally unappe
ated Metropolitan cop
The uniformed policeman ubiquitous in morning and
ing rush hours generally conceded people from the
resident downo be the greatest factor making Washing
habit tah in fron itctr
Evening star., 1955-07-10

Louis e. Wolfson's promise to re-
turn to Washington tomorrow, cou-
pied with Senator Wayne Morse's
threat to verbally tar and feather
him indicate Washingtonians will
have . flne orgy to watch while
they wait In vain for their street.
cars.
It may be worthwhile, just before
this exciting spectacle, to examine
the reasons why Senators and a
good many Washingtonians dislike
Mr.. Wolfson and to raise the ques-
ton whether all the reasons are
good ones.
Basically, the complaints about
Mr.. Wolfson are these: He has
raised fares and reduced service
while taking small fortune out of
the till. And while he has never
expressed the wish that the public
be damned, he has also never indi-
Gated he hopes the public be blessed.
Arizona sun., 1955-06-10
Attack
UnWurrunted
Editor, The Arizona Sun,

Current news magazines are
carrying report of recent severe
attacks on the Bahai Faith and
it's followers in Iran. These attacks
are occurring as a result of accu-
sations levelled against the Baha'is
in Iran by a Moslem leader who
interprets the spread of the Baha'i
faith in the country of it's birth
as threat to Islam and the Iran
ian government.
Reputation of this misrepresen-
tation of their faith is being made
by Baha'is throughout the world
to the authorities in Iran and in
their home communities where in
formation about these events has
been incomplete and often mac
curate.
With its National Assembly and
other local Bahai Assemblies
across the country, the Baha'is Of
Phoenix wish to point out two per-
tinent facts. Far frcm being athe-
istic and hostile to any of the
worlds religions, Baha'is recognize
the divine origin of all faiths which
through the ages have revealed
Gods love and purpose to men.
This belief is expressed in the serv-
ices conducted weekly in the BAHIA i
House of Worship at Wilmette, H.,
where passages are read from the
Koran, the Old and New Testa-
ments, the Bahai sacred writings
and other Scriptures.
In the second place, no Baha'i
can be a member Of any Subversive
movement, and political matters
are not even discussed at Baha'i
meetings. Loyalty to government
is a fundamental Bahai principle,
applicable to Baha'i in all of the
249 counties where they now
reside.
The Baha'i Assembly of Phoenix
Arizona sun., 1955-06-10
Letters to the Editor
BRIGHTER DAYS AHEAD
Editor, of Arizona Sun:

Editor, of Arizona Sun:
In my opinibn there is a bright
er day ahead for Negro people in
Arizona. But, it will be a long time
getting here, if we sit and wait for
it. Just one question I would like
to ask, and that is: Are you Mr..
and Mrs. Negro Citizen of AriAona,
prepared?" The very first step to-
ward preparedness is to join our
selves together. Secondly, do not
lose sight on the "black line" BY
that I mean, we do not have to
lose the color of our faces to COM
pete with the other felloW-be-
cause when we stand up for what
we are, we will be honored more
so.
Now many of us have completely
lost sight on who we are due to
the fact we can eat in a white cafe,
stop in a white hotel! Well, let me
tell you something. That is cer-
tainly no honor. No stree.
Now the only way see that we
can hasten that sparkling new and
brighter day for us tan people is to
first promote something that the
iother fellow would like to enjoy
with us. To do this we must pool
our dollars and strength, with the
and not MICE
That brighter day will come
when we place faith in one an
other and help teach Those that do
not understand.
F. Boyd Sr
Arizona sun., 1955-06-10
CHARM
BY LOU LuTOUR

NEW YORK, CGlobaD = The
eyes of the street are on you. You
want them to behold an immacu-
late, we'll grooned, charming you.
Remember that you are respon-
sible for whatever these censOring
eyes fall upon. A well groomed ap-
pearance is girls best asset.
Cleanliness is a must The first
requisite for achieving this is a
refreshing bath. Use bath salts,
bath oil, your favorite cologne, or
toilet water in your bath water.
After the bath, groom yourself for
all YOU'RE worth. 1t will pay off.
Arizona sun., 1955-06-10
Civil Service Job
Exams Announced

WILLIAMS AIR FORCE BASE,
AriZ., May 26-The Board of US.
Civil Service Examiners at this
base announces examinations for
career-conditional appointment to
the following positions: Ware
houseman, WB-9, $1.71-$1.98 p.h.,;
Engineering Equipment Operator,
WB-14, $1.97-$2.28 phi; Automo-
bile Upholsterer, WB-10, $1.76-$2.04
p.h.; Crater, WB-9, $1.71-$198 phi;
Crater Foreman, WIS, $2.21-$2.56
p.h.; Aircraft Servicing Electrician,
WB-15, $2.O1-$2.33 phi; Butcher,
WB-10 $1.76-$2.O4 ph.
Apply at any post office for ap-
plication forms or information as
to where such forms may be OBJ
tanned. Information can also be OBJ
tanned from the Board of us. Civil
Service Examiners, P.O. Box 788,
Williams Air Force Base, Arizona.
Arizona sun., 1955-06-10
Share Your Wisdom
BY DIR. THOMAS r. GAINES

: NEW YORK, (GlobaD = Life
demands work irrespective of age,
Plan to work at that which makes
your life flavorful, gainful, aro-
matte. Work is divine. God ordered
that all men should work and
sweat. AS we work cheerfully and
intelligently, our service improves
and our work prospers. We feel
more secure. Some time to play is
necessary, but ample time should
be reserved for thinking and
working. No intelligent life can
ever afford to relinquish the quest
for security.
Arizona sun., 1955-06-10
What Is Revealed Between Lines?

Whot can be read between the lines Of the follow
ina life stoyo reported the American Peoples Encyclopedia
Yearbook for 1855:
Otto john German service chief, was
born 1902 Educated England he became German air
line executive in 1897, otter that British agent.
When the otemp Killers life in 1874 foiaed John tied
10 PORTUGAL Returning Germany in 949. he headed the
office for the protection of the Constitution, West cermonys
version Of the FBl.
On July 90 1854 10th anniversary Of the failure OF
.e untier plot either Ivred voluntarily to the
Communists in Eost Berlin
On August he made ontWesten statements at an inter
notionoI press conference arranged by his Communist
bosses
On December 49, he reported to be airline eexeo-
tive under the Reds.