Evening star., 1956-03-06
Transit Agency
.PI. an Pressed
a Senators Briefed
On Area Proposal

District Commissioners Sam.
uel Spencer and Thomas A
Lane. engaged in touring Cap.
itol Hill to stir up support fol
the proposed public transit
authority, saw four Senators
yesterday.
They still have considerable
Itrackage to cover.
One of their tasks is to con.
vince the doubtful there is nc
chance for a private operator to
take over from Capital Transit
ICo. Capital Transit's franchise
ends next August IA.
Gen. Lane, Engineer Commits
sioner, is a member of both the
Board of Commissioners of the
District and the Public Utilities
Commission. The utilities com
mission has had the task o1
planning what sort of organiza
tion shall succeed to the job OF
providing the transit facilities
when Capital Transit fades from
the picture.
One of the Senators seen yes
Iterday was Senator Mcnamara
chairman of the welfare subeem-
mittee of the Senate District
Committee. The subcommittee is
lin charge of the bill providing for
"a public, authority which the
commissioners have offered.
After the call of Mr.. Spencer
and Mr.. Lane, Senator McNa-
mara was asked whether they
had sold him on their proposal
mo, they didn't" he replied
He added that if something has
to be done which would be q
departure from private opera
ton, a new authority is not
necessary.
In the District Commissioners
and the utilities commission, he
explained, there are personnel to
supervise a transit operation
After ALL" he added. there will
be a general manager who will
run the service"
He said he is still hopeful OF
private operation.
Chief Counsel William P. Gull
ledge and Murray Weight of the
Senate District Committee staff
are in Cleveland today to study
the public authority operation
there. They will go on to Chi
cago for the same purpose. They
are expected back Sunday night
/ Senator McNamara said the
Cleveland and Chicago problems
are not comparable to those in
the District. The District has
it's own special problems. the
Senator said. But he added that
one of them is not the periodic
unemployment and layoffs of the
two industrial cities.
The Senator agreed there
would have to be some kind ot
subsidizing in the way of tar
concessions.
The two Commissioners alsc
saw Senator Neely, Democrat o1
West Virginia; Senator Beall
Republican of Maryland, ano
Senator Allott, Republican OF
Colorado. Senator Nicely is chair
man of the District Committee
and Senators Beall and Allott
are members.
| Senator Nicely said that "time
lis running out" for solving the
transit problem. When Mr.. Gull
ledge and Mr.. Weight return
from their trip. he said, he woulc
call a meeting of the District
Committee just as soon as there
would be assurance of quorum
Senator Beall said he want.
every change of private opera
tion exhausted before the au.
thorities move on to public cp.
Grafton. He said the Commits
Isioners apparently had done {
pretty good job in trying to fine
a private operator. He added tha
If the community has to turn tt
public operation he would q
along very reluctantly"
But, he said, he was not goint
to commit himself until the two
staff members return from theil
trip.
On the House side, Chairman
Harris of the Interstate Com.
mission Subcommittee handling
the transit bill said his group i.
trying to wind up its exploring
of all possible avenues for &
solution of the transit problem
He declined to say when his sub
committee would meet again.