Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-15


.,.u,,sv as kibitzers No tram
U sit expert is sure
-w whether Washington's
531 aldermen" on Capitol Hill could
be denied that right.
Second is that of a hve-man board,
appointed to staggered terms Of five
years, would be the best thing Salaries
could be either annual or per diem, but
need not be high.
Third Is that ordinary levels Of Gov
eminent pay must be ignored In com.
pensating the general manager. Ex-
perts agree that the $22,500 Congress-
men get Is altogether too low. Most
think $4,000 to $4,000 is about right.
Fourth is that the transit authority
must be power unto itself on fares
and schedules, with no veto power at
the District Building, on Capitol Hill or
even the White House. CAS- a matter Of
practical fact, bonds lacking faith-and-
credit backing probably could not be
marketed otherwise.)
Fifth is that there should be an inde-
pendent merit system for the hiring,
firing and promotion of employees. The
authoritys workers should not be blan-
keted into the Federal or District civil
service.
Beyond these cardinal points, the ex-
perts are at variance, but each has
something to offer.
In Chicago, General Manager McCar-
ter sees the most important feature to
be the avoidance of scandal by strict
adherence to good business practice in
personnel and purchasing matters.
General Manager Hyde in Cleveland
says the transit authority should not be
a division Of the city government, or
otherwise answerable to the city.
Mr.. Lamport in Toronto thinks 1t In
vital to give the authority an air-tight
monopoly to operate transit not only in
the city but in a radius of say Is miles
from the center of town. Whether this
would be feasible in the United States,
he does not know.
DR.. Mayer at the University of Chicago
takes the long view. He doubts that
mass transit can operate in the black
over the long haul, and would not tie
the authoritys hands by writing into
the law ban on subsidies. Also with
an eye on the far future, he would like
to be sure that nothing in the law would
prevent the authority from engaging
in any or all forms of transportation II
(for instance) helicopters should become
the logical successors to buses. He also
thinks the authority should be COM
pletely tax exempt.
The $64 Million Question
So much for how the experts think IL
should be set up. Now for the $64 million
question:
Could such an authority be set up in
time to save Westinghouse a long
walk home next August?
With one voice the experts say no.
In Cleveland, negotiations between
private ownership and the city dragged
on for almost seven years before the
city took over.
In Chicago, the Metropolitan Transit
Authority act was passed two and
half years before the first fare was coll
lected by eta.
In Toronto, where government seizure
is relatively quick and easy, 1t took q
year to get rolling from the time On
tario passed the necessary law
And in each case, the city still had
private transportation of a sort while
the preliminaries were going on.
In Washington, on the other hand,
private operation is scheduled to cease
eight months from yesterday. Barring
an extension of its franchise, CTC
won't be here any more-and there Is
no assurance that Capital Transit even
wants reprieve.
Necessary Steps
So, with conditions as they are now,
here is what must happen between to-
day and August Is II transit hiatus
Is to be avoided:
A bill must go to the Hill. 1t must
be studied by committees, reported and
passed on the floors Of both Houses.
Differences must be adjusted in confer
ence and a final compromise passed.
This must be referred to the Budget
Bureau, the District Commissioners and
the White House staff before being
signed by the President. Finally, the
members of the authority must DO
appointed and probably confirmed.
That much is spadework. At this
point, the hard job begins. Bonds must
be issued and underwriters must sell
them. A general manager must be
named and headquarters staff organ
lied. Equipment must be found, and
If condemnation of Capital Transit
vehicles is the answer, the courts prob
ably will enter the picture.
Operating, maintenance and other
stats must be organized.
Finally, the first bus will be ready to
roll In the nature of things, can it
roll at 1901 am, August Is, 1855?
Impossible, say the men who know
the business It's possible but it will
be tight squeeze, says one hopeful
financier