Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-28

al from the city heads is being
the Legislative Counsel Service
lof the House and prepared for
introduction. Mr.. Priest said he
hopes it will be ready to go into
the House bill hopper on Mon
day.
His comment came after he
had received a visit yesterday
from District Commissioners
Samuel Spencer and Thomas A.
Lane. They explained their
visit had been to outline the
urgency Of the transit situation
in Washington in view of the
fact that the Capital Transit
Co. will die by act Of Congress
next August IA and the pro-
posed transit authority is de-
signed to take over the next day.
He May Introduce Bill
Mr.. Priest, a Tennessee Demo-
crat, said there are four men,
bers of the House District Of
Columbia Committee on his 81
member commerce committee.
He declared that he will intro
duce the transit authority bill
or ask one of these four to do
/ so. e
Also, Mr.. Priest said, three Of
the four District Committee
members are on the Transports
Ition subcommittee of the COM
merce committee, to which the
measure will be referred for
initial action.
Mr.. Priest said the subcommit-
tee will hold hearings "just as
soon as we can clear the calendar
OF the subcommittee of commit
ments which now run into the
first two weeks of February" r.
| Chairman of the subcommit-
tee, Mr.. Priest said. is Rep
resentative Harris. Democrat of
Arkansas, a member Of the Dis
trict Committee familiar with
the city's transportation crisis.
Other District Committee mem
bers on the transportation sub
committee are Representative
O'Hara, Republican of Mime
sofa, and Representative Will
liams, Democrat of Mississippi.
Had Considered Problems
/ Other Democrats on the sub
committee are Representatives
Mack of Illinois, Rogers of
Texas. Flint of Georgia, and
Dollinger of New York.
1 Other Republicans are Repre-.
sentatives Wolverton of New
Jersey, Hinshaw Of California.
Hale Of Maine. and Dolliver Of
Iowa.
The group has been exposed
to metropolitan Washington
transit problems before in con-
isidering proposals by Repre-
sentative Hyde, Republican Of
Maryland, for establishment Of
la Metropolitan Area regulatory.
commission to supervise opera
tons of privately-owned transit
companies.
Mr.. Priest said Speaker Ray
burn had told him the day the
bill was sent to Congress that it
would be referred to the Com
merce Committee rather than to
the House District Committee.
I Yesterday Chairman Mcmillan
Of the District Committee said
he understood the measure was
write into the measure a pro-
vision for union recognition, COL
Ilective bargaining, arbitration
being sent to the Commerce
Committee because Mr.. McMil-
Ian opposes any suggestion Of
public ownership of the local
1 transit system.
! Instead. Mr.. Mcmillan said, he
will introduce measure to can
eel the act of last August which
is designed to put Capital Tran
sit out of business. This would
restore the company to the con-
troll of Louis E. Wolfson, Florida
multi-millionaire. Mr.. McMil-
Ian said he had no commitment
from Mr.. Wolfson to accept q
restoration of the company
franchise.
Mr.. Priest said he plans to
talk with Mr.. Mcmillan Mon
day. declaring, 81 want to assure
him I am not trying to UNDER
mine his Jurisdiction"
| Meanwhile labor support de-
veloped rapidly for a request by
the transit workers union to
and a requirement that the au-
thority hire the bulk of workers
from any company which it
acquires.
Hits "Glaring Omission"
Yesterday E. L. Oliver Of the
Midwest Labor Bureau said the
Commissioners had omitted these
provisions from their measure
in adapting to Washington the
Illinois act which set up the
Chicago Transit Authority.
He said the failure to include
the labor provisions of the I'LL
nois act was "glaring omission"
in view of the close parallel be-
tween that act and the bill pro-
posed by the Commissioners.
The Commissioners have
argued that they left out the
labor provisions because Congress
has never included a collective
bargaining provision in legisla-
ton for Federal agencies.