Evening star., 1955-07-12
Reaction to Strike
I am puzzled at the attitude


I am puzzled at the attitude
of some rather prominent peo-
pie toward the Capital Transit
Co. I am not a stockholder,
officer, patron or employs of
the transit company. I can
therefore approach the sub
ject effectively. My interest
in the matter is that there is
more involved than merely a
local issue.
Some people seem to think
that the transit company
should grant the demands of
the union regardless of the
merits Of the issue, regardless
of whether the employees are
entitled to an increase in
wages and other benefits. Some
Senators set themselves up as
self-appointed arbiters and are
eager to hand over to the en-
ployes someone else's money.
The Public Utilities Commits
sion sets the fares so that
there will be a reasonable re-
turn on the investment. There
fore, any increase in wages
must be met either by in
creased fares or the returns to
the investor decreased below a
reasonable figure, or the tran
sit company subsidized. Any
one of these alternatives would
be either unjust or unreason-
able. Therefore the demands
of the union are unreasonable
and should be rejected.
The strike of the transit EN-
ployes is thus a strike against
the public. Is it not, there
fore. the duty of public Off
cials to take such steps as will
protect the interests of the
public and check the selfish
demands of the transit union?
Samuel r. Bauer.
One of the things that has
contributed much to the cas-
ing Of motor traffic during the
present strike is the absence
of buses from the streets. Per-
petually a menace to the
drivers of automobiles during
rush traffic. demanding the
right-of-way and getting 1t
with a wide berth because of
their size. communicating the
air with the vile smoke and
stencil from their fuel exhaust,
the bus constitutes a menace
both to health and traffic that
we could be much obliged
without.
All we need to do to consign
this monStrosity to the limbo
of the horse and buggy is just
a little more cooperative ac-
tion between driver and rider,
a little more traffic courtesy,
and a little more assistance
from the cops in pulling
panty-waist drivers off the
streets-drivers who are either
too lazy or too timid to move
along in traffic - especially
those who hold up long lines
of traffic at converging streets
until they can get an opening
in the lane on the farther side
of the street instead of pro-
ceeding into the nearest lane
and then moving over with
signals as they proceed in the
stream of traffic.
c. M. Smith.
The board of directors of a
corporation is usually the body
which sets the rate of divi-
dends on the company's stock
and directs officers of the
company to pay the dividend.
Capital Transit has a 14-man
board. 1t seems incredible that
these men could pass resolu-
tionS over a period of time
paying stockholders such dis
portionately high dividends,
and now say the company
cannot pay its workers a small
salary increase because the
company has no funds. They
found a place to get the divi-
dends for the stockholders!
E. j. w.
X 4 X
When I was 81 was a con-
ductor on the Districts horse
drawn street cars, later con-
ductor on the electric cars.
The pay was 50 a day. The
fare was SC straight. 5 tickets
Csc. We had two companies.
Metropolitan and Capital
Transit. I worked for Metro
politan. The pay and fare
stayed the same long time.
Employees we're satisfied and
the public satisfied, and got
much better service than they
get today.
Since the new owners from
Florida bought Capital Tran
sit, they have asked for raises
in fare and got what they ask
for. Then they have taken off
men, cars and buses and given
less service.
If I had my say. the transit