Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-17

The District Commissioners
said today they are prepared to
make q firm offer to the AFL
Transit Union this afternoon
which they hope will settle the
4S-day transportation strike.
This announcement came
after the city heads discussed the
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Burman Group Preporins Counter Offer
On cTc. Pass A.
situation with william E. Leahy.
chairman of the Citizens Adj.
visory Council and member Of q
special strike t-finding COM
mittee.
For three hours this morning
the Commissioners. deyoting all
most all their time now as strike
mediators, disappeared from
their Offices, leaving no trace Of
their destination.
Consulting Citizens
During this period they spent
more than an hour at the Metro
politan Club with Mr.. Leahy.
This was In line with the COM
Ynissioners announcement that
they would consult with citizens
before completing negotiations
with the union.
Union officials were to go to
the District Building at 2::30
pm. to hear terms Of the offer.
II they regard it as acceptable.
the next step viii be for them
to place it before the Executive
Board and possibly the 60-man
Policy Committee. The final de-.
cision on settlement would be
up to a vote Of the full member
ship Of 5000.
Must Write Contract
The Commissioners have the
dual responsibility of guiding q
settlement between the company
ana union, then writing q one
year operating contract with the
company, which win be out of
business when its franchise ex-I
pires in q year,
The District government row
is vitality interested in any wage
and pension settlement costs,
since the District must foot the
bills for any deficits caused by
new . labor expenditures not
covered by additional fare in-I
creases,
After their talks with Mr.
Leahy, the city heads went to
Capital Transit Offices for what
Commissioner Samuel Spencer
described as an effort to settle
"some uncertain points of law"
E. Cleveland Giddings, COM
pany vice president, said the
30-iminute conference dealt part
ly with the union pension fund.
The union insists that the 81
million fund be carried over in
tact in any agreement the work
ers can reach with a succeeding
company.
Publicity Shy Manner
The Commissioners have been
conducting their negotiations in
q publicity-shy manner.
At this Fundamentally seven
weeks since the street cars and
buses left us-the idea of some
tight dipped negotiating did not
seem so bad. Several millions Of
words must have been uttered
since the strike began its twisted
course and not one Of them was
good for car ride.
The longest speech Mr.. Spen-
Ger would make after two days
of groundwork was: We've
made some progress"
The company has indicated a
willingness to help protect it's
employees. One Of the terms of
the sale Of the company, out
lined by Board Chairman Louis
e. Wolfson, was for the pur-
chaser to maintain seniority and
other rights Of Capital Transit
employees. This condition was
made in an offer to sell for
$14.4 million to Louis Burman,
Washington builder, and associ-
ates.
Capital Transit stock rallied
somewhat on the American Stock
Exchange today where up to
noon q sales were reported at
$10.625. The stock closed yes
terday at $9.75. On the Wash
ington exchange, $40 was bid and
$11 asked with no morning sales.
Yesterday $3.50 was bid and $40
asked.