Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-11-24
Transit Needs
Seen Heading
Area Problems
Survey Suggests
IS Fields Of Study
To Joint Committee
BY DON s. WARREN

- N~@~~ - sNAAANM4ANAN
A special Congressional Joint
committee created to dig for
answers to problems facing the
Washington metropolitan area
Is finding-as 1t expected-plen-
ty Of worrisome issues.
Oficials Of the governing,
planning and regulatory units
in the area have listed IS fields
Of study in replies to q ques-
|tionnaire from the committee.
These suggested items raise a
multitude Of related ideas as
to what should be done.
The need Of adequate mass
transportation for the area is
named most frequently in the
replies, according to q summary
released by committee staff
aides. There is also promi-
nently listed the question of ths
lack Of an authoritative" plan
ming body that could govern
land uses in the entire metro
politan area.
Other proposed fields of in
Quiry range all the way from
taxicab charges for trips cross
ing the Districts boundaries to
shortages Of school classrooms.
Bible Heads Committee
Members Of the joint COM
mittee are taking note Of the
work Of the new Washington
Metropolitan Regional Confer
ence group to set up q volun-
tary system Of control over cab
fares in Interstate service here.
And 1t has been made clear the
committee also will examine
with special care all Of the
findings and recommendation
that may be included in the
final report. due by next July
j, Of the 100000 mass trans
portation survey.
The joint committee, headed
by Senator Bible. Democrat Of
Nevada, with Representative
Hyde. Republican of Maryland,
as vice chairman, has given no
priority SO far to the problems
1t will survey. Senator Bible
has said. however, that the
committee was aware of the
multitude Of problems that de-
served attention and that the
committee would have to de-
eide on some limit to its work
under the control Of time and
funds.
At present, Congress has
granted $4,000 for the study
but the Senate Rules Commit
tee has been advised that some
additional funds may be re-
quired. An extra $4,000 has
been mentioned. The study will
run to the end Of January.
1859. A progress report is to be
made by January 81. 1858.
Director to Be Named
Committee decisions may be
reached Tuesday on what sub
jects ought to be covered in the
survey and who is to be en-
ployed as staff director. About
SO applications for the direc-
tors job have been received.
mostly lawyers, engineers or
persons with legislative or in
vestigatorial backgrounds, but
also there are some from es-
tablished research concerns.
At the all-day session sched-
uled for Tuesday, which will be
closed to the public and the
press. the committee plans to
interview about a dozen of the
job applicants, considered to
be most worthy. An effort also
will be made to chart out spe-
cific fields Of study. Members
OF the staff of the House and
Senate District Committees are
preparing a digest of sngges-
tons received from spokesman
for the governing units of the
area.
For some reason the pro-
posals Of the areas governing
units as to fields of study have
been withheld from public view,
except as they were openly
adopted by some Of the county
organizations. Committee staff
ers have not been authorized
even to give out the identities
of the ~ officials or organiza-
tons invited to submit sugges-
lions.
Instead. the staff aides were
authorized to release a sum-
mary Of the questionnaire's re-
plies, but without the text Of
comments made by the officials
as to the reasons they thought
some issues were more pressing.
Representative Hyde has told
reporters, however. that he had
found nothing "start1ng" In
the proposals.