Evening star., 1960-09-02
Congress Approves
Area Transit Pact
Senate Action
Sends Bill to
White House
BY GRACE BASSETT
Star Stan Writer

compact to set up a metropoli-
tan commission to regulate
transportation went to the
White House today.
Permission for the District to
enter into the agreement
cleared Congress yesterday
after surviving debate during
the closing hours of the Senate
session.
The two State Legislatures
already have approved the COM
pact.
1t calls for the District Com
missioners and the two State
Governors each to appoint one
member to the commission.
These members would regulate
fares, routes and connections
for interstate transit and CO.
ordinate auto and bus travel.
The compact legislation cli-
makes efforts of nearly a decade
to negotiate a metropolitan ap-
proach to transportation. It is
considered by area leaders as
perhaps the major accomplish
ment of citizens and leaders
who want to overcome conflicts
of regulation among separate
Jurisdictions by following a uni
fed metropolitan approach.
The issue was kept in doubt
until the final vote at 4:07 pm.
yesterday while Senator Morse,
Democrat of Oregon, detailed
the opposition Of o. Roy Chalk,
D. c. Transit System president.
The compact is discriminatory
and unfair" to his company,
Mr.. Chalk has charged.
Letter From Mclaughlin
Senator Robertson, Democrat
of Virginia, steered the House.
passed resolution through the
Senate by abandoning oratory
for quiet button-holing Of
members.
AS Senator Morse talked,
Robert E. Mclaughlin. the hos
pitalized president of the Board
of commissioners. dispatched
a letter to the Senate from his
hospital bed.
He urged passage of the
compact, perhaps the most
important measure affecting
the District of Columbia during
my tenure in Office" Mr.. Nc
Laughlin, who took Office in
1852, is recovering from a
heart attack.
| The Mclaughlin letter was
read into the record by Senator
Javits, Republican of New York.
who was, in a sense. caught
between his constituent, Mr..
Chalk of New York City. and
Commissioner Mclaughlin, his
fellow Republican.
Senator Javits supported a
defeated Morse amendment to
protect Mr.. Chalk by giving
the District two members on
the commission. compared to
one each for Virginia and
Maryland.
Scant Vote
When the voice vote came
on the resolution itself, only
Senator Robertson voted AYE"
Nobody was opposed. Other
Senators simply didn't vote.
They were obviously bothered
by the time consumed by Sena-
tor Morse. He was interrupted
repeatedly for other legislation
and, yesterday afternoon, by a
special recess to receive former
President Truman, visiting from
independence, Mo.
Senator Morse identified
himself as a "staunch sup
porter and defender of private
ownership Of District trans
portation facilities" D. c.
Transit System is doing a re-
markably fine job, Senator
Morse contended.
He said the Senate should
know that Mr.. Chalk is "vehe-
mently opposed" to the COM
pact.
And I, too. think Congress
is buying a bottle of litigation
by forcing this compact down
our throats," the Senator said.
He argued that the compact,
first envisoned nearly a decade
ago, had become obsolete or at
least unnecessary" This year,
Congress created a separate
metropolitan transportation
agency to develop unified trans
portation programs and even
tually to become a regulatory
and perhaps an operating unit.
The agency may duplicate
the commissions work, Senator
Morse predicted.