Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-06-26

With less than two months
left before Washington would
be without transit service I'M
less Congress authorizes some
body to have a franchise to
operate, why do we still hear
so much about purchase of
Capital Transit assets Gas a
whole or in part) to be oper-
ated by a company from out
side. or by a company to be
newly formed, or by a public
authority that would con-
Stitute still more of a break
away from existing arrange
mentS?
We have in Capital Transit
a going concern which could
keep on going without a break
If it could be assured that it
will be under a control suff1-
GENTLY different from that
which has been in controversy
for several years and led to
the drastic action of last sum-
mer. With such a short time
left. why not concentrate on
getting such a change of con-
troll, which would not. involve
too much more than the SELL
ing and buying of securities,
and which many local citizens
thought would be the best
thing to work for from the be- :
ginning? And certainly that
new control should be Gas at
least one of the pending pro-
posals apparently would make
it, as fully as possible in the
hands of local citizens, to rec
tify the mistake which, a few
years ago, allowed a large block
of stock to get from a holding
company'S ownership to a
much more active and differ
emily minded control from out
of town.
There has also been a ten
dency to load up negotiations
and legislation with too many
innovations in transit affairs
which had better be left to
longer and calmer considera-
ton, in the metropolitan tram
sit inquiry already authorized
or in ordinary adjustments in
the course of transit operation
and regulation. A good case
may be made for some
changes, such as relief from
the tax on transit operations,
which is too hard to recoup
from transit revenues without
driving riders away. But such
changes now should be kept to
a minimum.
One other innovation which
should not be a fixed condition
of the franchise is the pro-
posed change-over to all-bus
operation. An immediate
change-over, with a new COM
pany or public authority TAX
ing what it needs and the old
company holding the bag Of
unused equipment and expen-
sive track removals. seems inn
practical for other reasons.
For the future, the many citi-
zens who want streetcarS to
stay on heavy-traveled lines
are entitled to more of a hear
ing than they have had so
far. Alleged expensiveness of
streetcar operation and other
arguments of the all-bus adj
vocates have been met Gas in
the February report of the
Federation of Citizens Asso-
ciations) by facts and argyll
ments directly opposite, in
GLIDING grave suspicious about
motives of the bus. tire and
gasoline interests which have
pushed the elimination of
streetcars elsewhere. Until
such conflicting views are
cleared up. cars and buses
should both go on without any
irreversible commitment that
might be regretted.
George w. HOdgkins.
4 II + 4
The Commissioners, the
Public Utilities Commission
and others are bent on turn
ing to an all-bus system. A
year ago, they all claimed that
there would be plenty Of
takers for a new franchise. A
month or so ago, it appeared
that there were no takers.
Now there are some takers
available. but the powers-that-
be do not want to grant them
the same privileges that an
authority would have to re-
ceive. nor do they wish to
allow them the same margin
Of profit which is written into
the franchise Of the other
public utilities. How silly can
one get?
AS to the rail-bus contro-
versy, in addition to the fact
that no one in authority dares
to compare costs on q passen-
ger-mile and equipment
| amortization basis (which was