Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-25
Public ronsit Inevitable,
District Committees Fear

mITT6eS ear.
end result would be public own
ership. / question if that should
be the ultimate answer. Such
proposal would require a great
deal of study; it would. of course,
require congressional action.
1.-THE indications last summer
were that there would be a rea-
sonable amount of competition
among prospective successors to
the Capital Transit Co. am not
in a position to say just now
what I would like to see done.
When I get back I will dig right
in to assemble the facts Of the
problem"
Senator Beall, Republican Of
Maryland. who served as men,
Der of the transit subcommittee:
I'VE have got to do something
The public will have to be served.
AS to the creation Of public
authority to take over service
next August, I would not want
to be committed on that real
quick. If private capital cannot
be interested in setting up a new
service. then we will have to take
the alternative. But I would
want to be assured that every
avenue and every approach have
been taken to interest private
capital. If that has been done
and private enterprise is not
available. then perhaps a public
authority will be the answer. We
should go to that only as the last
resort"
Senator Allott, Republican of
Colorado: II never would have
voted for the revocation bill if it
had not been for the fact that
the question came up at the very
close Of the past session of Con-
gress. I felt, as did a lot of
others. that with the strike
dragging on. we could not just
walk away and leave the District
with nothing to work with until
Congress came back.
IF it had not been for that
very pressing time element, /
doubt that the revocation bill
would have been passed. Some
other Senators talked to me
along that line at the time.
Il am not opposed to public
ownership. as such. 1t depends
on the circumstances. We have
had some public ownership ex-
perience in Colorado that proved
out well. I do believe every pos
sible chance for private operation
should be explored"
Senator Hruska, Republican Of
Until I can catch
up with all the circumstances or
see some definite proposal. I
don't know what should be the
answer. I do hope someone will
bring up something in good form
for consideration early in Janu-
airy.
II would prefer to stay away
from public ownership II that is
possible. I hope the concerned
officials keep plugging away for
the development of private en-
terprise.
IF the answer is that no new
group Of private investors is
qualified, ready and willing, then
that puts the problem on a pretty
narrow basis. 1t means either
some form of public ownership or
a revision of the law repeating
the charter and franchise of the
Capital Transit Co."
HOUSE =,
Chairman Mcmillan of the
House District Committee, who
opposed cancellation Of the Capt.
tai Transit Company franchise.
by act Of Congress. said he was
not ready to make any comment
now on the proposed public
transit authority.
II am still opposed to that
provision of law which killed the
charter and franchise OF the
company" the South Carolina
Democrat emphasized.
When I helped get legislation
through the House towards the
end Of the last session." he ex-
planned. "the original bill had
NO provision for seizure. nor for
cancellation of the etc charter
or franchise. I refused to sign
the conference report favored by
the Senators and other members
of the conference committee. 1t
finally became law"
Representative Smith, Demo-
crat of Virginia: That's what
Wolfson set out to do in the first
place. then we'll have another
place. unload the company on
the city.
IF the union doesn't agree to
work for the transit authority
then well have another strike.
1--WE got to be convinced be-
fore I would favor anything like
a public transit authority to run
transportation in the District"
Representative Simpson, Re-
publican of Illinois: IF the Dis
trict Commissioners and the
PUG members have exhausted all
efforts to get private interests to
take over public transportation
in Washington, then it is up to
Congress to pass enabling legis-
|lation giving the Nations capital
the service it needs"
Pointing to what he said was