VALUATIONS.

The bureau has conducted the physical valuation of the property of the Terminal Taxicab Co., upon which a hearing has been held. It has completed similar valuations of the property of the Auto Livery Co., Federal Taxicab Co., and the Barnett Taxicab Co

It has also prepared the statistical and accounting data for the valuation of the properties of the Washington & Maryland Railway Co. and the East Washington Heights Traction Railroad Co.

BUREAU OF TRANSIT AND EQUIPMENT INSPECTION.

H. C. EDDY, Engineer.

The duties of this bureau comprise supervision of the schedules of and service furnished by the transportation utilities, inspection of their equipment, tracks and other construction, investigation of complaints of service and equipment, and investigation of accidents.

SERVICE.

During the first part of the year the commission regulated the service furnished by continuing in effect the orders of the Interstate Commerce Commission fixing the maximum headway on most lines during the rush hours, by requiring the utilities to keep on file with the commission the schedules on which the several lines were being operated during the entire day, and to obtain the approval of the commission before increasing the headway on any line during any part of the day.

Those orders of the Interstate Commerce Commission fixing the maximum headway, which became out of date due to changes in traffic conditions, were revoked by Orders Nos. 47, 48, 49, and 80. At the request of the utilities, all orders fixing the maximum headway were suspended from July 1 to September 15 by Order No. 73, in order to avoid the extravagance of continuing winter service during the summer, when the records show that traffic falls off materially on many lines. During this period the utilities agreed to increase the service whenever the commission found it to be inadequate, without the necessity of formal hearings and orders. At the end of the summer period these orders did not again become effective, but were indefinitely suspended by Orders Nos. 105 and 115. This was done pending the adoption by the commission of standards of street railway service. A preliminary study of such standards was made and a public hearing was held on October 26, 1914, for the purpose of obtaining the views of the utilities and of the public on the tentative standards suggested by the commission. A further investigation is being carried on with a view to arriving at a practical solution of the problem. The bureau has kept itself informed of the traffic, the service furnished, and the maintenance of schedules. During the year a total of 1,203 observations of traffic were made on the several transportation lines. While many of these observations were made in connection with the investigation of complaints of inadequate service, the great majority were made on the initiative of the bureau for the purpose of ascertaining from time to time the adequacy of the service rendered.

These observations were divided as follows:

Washington Railway & Electric Co.....

The Capital Traction Co.....

Metropolitan Coach Co...

Washington-Virginia Railway Co..

Washington & Old Dominion Railway.
Other companies....

Total.....

677

417

41

14

13

41

1, 203

Through correspondence and informal conferences with the officials of the street railway companies, improved service has been secured on many lines. During the year there has been an increase in the number of cars operated during the rush hours on practically all lines. While this increased service has often resulted from the initiative of the companies, there is too great a tendency on the part of some lines to continue inadequate service until attention is called to the condition by the commission.

A study has been continued of the track layout and routes in the territory in the northwest bounded by I Street on the north, Thirteenth Street on the east, Pennsylvania Avenue on the south, and Fifteenth Street on the west, with a view to possible rerouting of lines. This section includes some of the points of densest street railway traffic in the District.

A service known as "express" service has been in operation for several years during the rush hours on some lines in the District of Columbia. This service exists on suburban lines, and the operation of the cars as express cars is in most cases confined to the city portion of the routes. In the operation of this service cars receive and discharge passengers at required stops only (street railway intersections and fire stops). The cars are indicated as express cars by the display of proper signs. Thorough investigation showed express service to have the advantage of producing a more even distribution of loads by a tendency to separate the long-haul from the short-haul passengers. Certain changes were found to be advisable in the methods of operation of this class of service. The advantage of separating the suburban passengers from the local passengers exists only in the afternoon rush hour when the traffic is outgoing, for when the traffic is incoming in the morning rush hour the separation of the suburban and local passengers is automatic. Since express service has for its object the separation of the classes of passengers in order to simplify caring for them, any reasonable practice which tends to make more complete this separation increases the effectiveness of the service. The practice which has been adopted by the utilities of declining to give transfers from express cars tends toward this separation. After several conferences held with the officials of the companies concerned, Order No. 89, covering these matters was issued by the commission.

The inspectors of the bureau have continued to observe and make records of general conditions of service, such as the proper equipment of cars with signs, proper heating and ventilation, cleanliness, speed, and other matters of operation. A general improvement on the part of the utilities in the observance of the regulations covering these points has been noted. Section 27 of Order No. 21 of the commission required that, on or before March 1, 1914, certain signs should be displayed on cars. The commission having decided that the present system in use by the street railways should be continued for the present, Order No. 52 postponed indefinitely the provisions of the above-mentioned section.

Summaries of the daily reports of all interruptions of traffic of 10 minutes or more are shown in Tables Nos. 1 and 2.

Total caused by plows, 799; total by other causes, 1,528.

After approval by the commission, the Metropolitan Coach Co. extended its route on June 1, 1914, from the existing terminal at Fifteenth Street and New York Avenue NW. to Eighth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. By leasing four busses, each of seating capacity of 31, the company was able to operate over the longer route with about the same headway as it had been operating over the shorter route. The service furnished by the company did not prove to be adequate, however, and was the source of continued complaint. On November 27 the company made application to the commission for authority to resume its original route. On inquiry it was learned that the company was unable longer to continue the lease of the four large busses. After a thorough investigation of the matter, the request was granted by the commission by order No. 138, effective December 29, 1914.

The issuance of free reciprocal transfers between the Washington & Maryland Railway Co. and The Capital Traction Co. at Fourteenth and Kennedy Streets NW. resulted from order No. 133 of the commission, effective January 1, 1915. This case grew out of an appeal to the commission by the Washington & Maryland Railway Co. for an interpretation of a paragraph in its charter concerning which there was a disagreement between that company and The Capital Traction Co.

EQUIPMENT.

Inspections of rolling stock operated by the various transportation utilities have been carried on during the year. Inspections of safety appliances, such as fenders, wheel guards, etc., were made at irregular intervals on cars in actual operation at the terminals of the lines. Complete inspections of the cars were made in the barns.

In general, the maintenance of the equipment operated by the various transportation companies has improved during the year. However, a satisfactorily high standard of equipment has not yet been reached by the Washington Railway & Electric Co., WashingtonVirginia Railway Co., Washington & Maryland Railway Co., East Washington Heights Traction Railroad Co., and the Metropolitan Coach Co.

The number and character of the inspections of equipment made by the Bureau during the year appear in Table No. 3.

By order of the commission promulgated July 9, 1913, it was required of the companies that all cars weighing 16 short tons or more be equipped with air brakes on or before December 1, 1914. This order was complied with, the result being that all but a small number of cars operated in the District are now equipped with brakes of this character.

Additional equipment has been acquired by the Washington-Virginia Railway Co., consisting of five new cars of the center-entrance type. These have been approved by the commission.

An investigation was made of the conditions existing at exits from car barns with reference to danger from collisions and other accidents. This resulted in warning signs being erected by order of the commission at those exits where the conditions were found to be dangerous.