Evening star., 1955-11-20


See editorial: ITO Much Secrecy on
TruRsis." Page Az
granted only by Congress, they
declared the concessions can be
obtained and warned they win
vigorously oppose public owner
ship, which the Board Of Trade
suggested Friday might be q
last-ditch necessity.
Representative Broyhill, Re-
publican Of Virginia, and a MEM
ber Of the House District Com
mittee, declared an area-wide
group Of investors from Virginia,
the District and Maryland,
'would have little trouble in get
ting a congressional franchise
with concessions that would per-
NIT them to operate at q profit"
Local Investment Favored
Expressing the same view,
Senator Butler. Republican OF
Maryland, stressed that the
group should be q local one,
made up Of investors from with
In the washington metropolitan
area. There's no reason out
siders should come In" he said.
The first indication came Fri
day that would-be bus operators
seeking to take over the fran
chise Of Capital Transit when
it expires by act Of Congress
next August II. were refusing
to make a deal with the District
Public Utilities Commission until
Congress acts on their requests.
The commission announced
then at q Board Of Trade lunch-
con that it had not yet found a
satisfactory operator, but hoped
to do so soon and would have
legislation ready to present to
Congress when It meets again
six weeks from now on January 8.
Concessions Listed
The concessions involved In
elude the problem of whether
Congress viii grant Q Legislative
franchise" to the operators
chosen to succeed Capital
Transit, rather than letting them
function under a utilities COM
mission permit" s5
Another request reportedly Is
for final action by Congress to
exempt the operator from pay-
ment Of gross receipts taxes now
levied on the Capital Transit Co.
Still o third Is exemption from
Capital Transit's obligation to
help clear the streets Of snow In
winter storms.
Meanwhile. there were reports
Of o move to have Mr.. Broyhill
designated as an official "ob-
server" Of the House District
Committee in connection with
the transit situation. He said he
plans to confer this week with
the District Commissioners on
the status Of negotiations to find
q private bus operator to succeed
Capital Transit.
Trafic Speedup Sought
Commenting on concessions
which the Public Utilities COM
mission would be willing to grant
such an operator. Chairman
George E. C. Hayes said "it has
always been our position that
we would help" q successful APP
plicant obtain changes in routing
of buses, further restrictions on
private auto parking and speed
ing up Of trafiic.
"All the persons who come In,
he said, suggest that II they
could speed up traflc 1t would
result In dollar savings.
eve have said we would lend
ourselves to any effort to assist
them in all matters over which
we have control, and use our
influence to help them In mat
tiers controlled by other agencies. =
He said the utilities commits
sion still believes the transit
operator should be relieved oi
the city's gross receipts tax
which has cost C.T.C. nearly
35OD, 900 a year. The commits
sion once recommended thai
C.T.C. itself be relieved Of the
tax, but the proposal was turned
down by the Board Of Commits
sioners.
No ''Term" Franchise Noted
Discussing the question OF .
franchise, he said no one OF thu
five formal applicants has yei
raised the issue Of getting 9
term" franchise which woult
run for q fixed period Of time
II has been suggested fhii
might be a requirement bs
would be bus operators TO pro-
tect them from . repetition O
the action last summer In which
Congress Cancelled GIGS in
defnite. franchise on . years.
notice.
He said any franchise oughl
to be "geared to" the current
area-wide S4OO, 900 study Of tran.
Sit and transportation problems
which Is expected to make long.
range recommendations on cost,
rapid transit facilities and othel
basic elements OF the transit
picture.
Mr.. Hayes declared. however
that the utilities commission \
committed to the fact that |
franchise should protect the IN
vestment Of the operator VI
select"
Commenting on disclosure .
the Board Of Trade luncheon
that the commission Is workinl
on plans for public ownership o
washington's transit system. MI
Hayes said, "The commission
couldn't close its eyes to tn
l..