Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-06-24
Asks Decision
By Commission
On Meter Use
By ALEX R. PRESTON

Engineer Com missioner
Thomas A. Lane told a House
District subcommittee today
that the Public Utilities Com
mission should be given author
ity to determine whether the
city's cabs should continue OPP
Grating under the zone system
or change over to meters.
The Commissioners, he said,
have not taken a formal stand
on the issue. which is a con-
troversial aspect of the taxicab
situation here. Public hearings
begin today. Representative
league, Democrat of Texas.
heads the subcommittee making
the inquiry.
Gen. Lane pointed out that
the basic statute gives the PUG
authority to decide whether
meters should be used. But a
rider to the District appropria-
ton bill. he said, prevents the
PUG from deciding this Ques-
ton.
For many years, the appropri-
alton bill has carried language
prohibiting the use of funds for
the regulation of meters here.
Use Of meters is one of four
recommendations included in a
so-called secret" report on taxi
operations here made by the
District Committee staff. Con-
tents of the report have leaked
out, however, and operations in
Washington were described as
chaotic" among other things.
"ChaOs" Disputed
Gen. Lane denied conditions
are chaotic. Chairman league
responded that he had talked
to more than so cab operators
with nthe last three weeks and
that $50 per cent say they are
chaotic conditions and the other
SO per cent say they are not"
Gen. Lane said the Commits
sioners do not regard local taxi
cab regulations as a means Of
limiting the number of cabs
here.
I'VE recognize" he said, "the
regulations might be more strict.
We continue to issue cab Ii
censes. There is no restriction
on their number. Congress has
never passed any regulations to
restrict the number of cabs
here"
II see no reason why Con.
gress should have anything to
do with that" Representative
Weir, Democrat of Minnesota.
said. THAT should be regulated
by the properly constituted au-
thority in the District"
Favors p. U. c. Control
Gen. Lane agreed. He said
the Commissioners earlier OPP
posed legislation authorizing
Congress to limit the number Of
cabs but favored a bill to give
the P. U. c. such authority.
Another witness was 1t. Fran
els Dunn of the Metropolitan
Police Department. who is chief
of the Hackers Bureau. After
reviewing various steps neces-
sary to obtain a cab operators
permit, Mr.. league tried to de-
termine whether any partially
is shown in the issuance Of
licenses.
Chairman league said I'VE
have had a number of COM
plants" that applications are
handled differently, depending on
whether they must clear through
Deputy Police Chief John Agnew,
in charge of traffic. or Inspector
William j. Liverman, head of
the traffic division"
I am not aware of such COM
plants" was 1t. Dunn's re-
Spouse.
Representative Hyde. Republic
can of Maryland. told Mr..
league the situation might be
compared with two judges :"
one might rule one way and the
otter a different way on the
same case"
1 Earlier, Walter Dellheime of
Brooklyn, sales manager for the
Efficient Instrument Corpora
ton. distributors of taxi meters.
said that of the so largest cities
in the Nation, only two. includ-
ing Washington. do not use
meters in their cabs.