Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-29
House Battle
Shapes Up On
etc Renewal

Plans to renew the dying fran
chise Of Capital Transit Co. face
stiff-but probably unsuccessful
when the proposal
goes to the House floor for de-
bate late this week.
At least one move will be made
to substitute the Senate District
Committees diametrically opposed
measure. which would set up al
publically -owned interim" tram
sit authority to take over the
system on August is.
The attempt has been prom
Used by Representative Heselton,
Republican of Massachusetts,.
who opposed the restoration
measure when it was approved
recently by the House Interstate
and Foreign Commerce Commit
tee.
Mr.. Heselton filed a minority
report against the restoration
measure. and backed up his ac-
ton by introducing the public
ownership bill in preparation for
his attempt to make the substi-
tuition.
Warns of Opposition
Representative Mccormack,
Democrat of Massachusetts.
House majority floor leader, also
warned of opposition to the res
toration measure when he sched-
uled it to come up for floor de-
bate along with group Of other
items slated to be considered
Wednesday. Thursday, Friday or
Saturday.
Warning of his substitution
plan. Mr.. Heselton took the floor
! to disassociate himself from crit
icism of the company by another
opponent of restoration, Senator
Morse. Democrat of Oregon, who
said last week, IF the Congress
falls for the lobbying of Capital
Transit Co., even in the interest
of campaign contributions, 1t will
do a great disservice to the people
of the District"
Mr.. Heselton said there was
no foundation for the implied
charge about campaign contri-
buttons and that it cast "reflec-
lions on fine, honorable men,
berS' of Congress.
4 Mr.. Heselton explained his OPP
position to the House bill in his
minority report.
He declared: 1T is sufficient
to say that from the time Louis
E. Wolfson and his associates
obtained control TO the Capital
Transit Company in 1949 they
adopted policies of managerial
control which in my opinion
were f1agrantly contrary to the
attitude which should be and
generally is held by the operators
of a public transportation COM
pany. I know of no convincing
evidence that this attitude has
changed since August of last
year"
Explaining this. he quoted a
Sunday Star interview in which
Mr. Wolfson argued company
stockholders had been discrim-
mated against under regulation
by the District Public Utilities
Commission. and promised to
protect them even to the point
of liquidating the company.
Sees 1t as Capitulation
Commenting on the fact that
the District Commissioners and
the Public Utilities Commission,
in an unsuccessful search for a
private successor to CTC, offered
them virtually all the conces-
SionS which the House bill would
give to etc. Mr.. Heselton said:
1t will be argued that those
notifications represent far less
than those desired by the Capt.
tai Transit Company and are
in general the same as those
which the Commissioners offered
to other private applicants But.
in my opinion, if the Capital
Transit Company is granted
these terms or conditions or con-
cessions. however they may be
described or defined, it will be a
capitulation to that company
and will amount to permitting
them to dictate their own terms
of continued operation"
/ The House bill would grant the
company relief from local taxes
and snow removal costs, and re-
quire the Public Utilities Com
mission to speed up decisions on
company requests for fare boosts.
Meanwhile. the Senate Demo-
cratic Policy Committee was ex-
pected to decide early this week
when the public ownership meas
ure will be debated on the floor
Of the Senate.
Falls Church Youth