tion of practically every member of Congress, that the caliber of your cab drivers in the District is way up above any community I know. Mr. KEETING. It certainly is, sir. Mr. BATES. And it seems to me pretty unfair to ask them to drive 10 and 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, for $30 a week. Mr. KEETING. I would like to have you ask those boys that question. Mr. BATES. I am on the District Committee, but I wish I was on the subcommittee, and I think I would go into this very thoroughly. Mr. KEETING. When you talk in that tone of voice, I wish you were, too, sir. Mr. BATES. In fact, I think I have already talked to one of the men in the what do they call it-the public utilities here about it. Mr. KEETING. Yes, sir. - Mr. BATES. I think it ought to be gone into. Mr. KEETING. It certainly ought to, sir. Mr. BATES. If you are going to maintain the caliber of the drivers here in the District and expect men to have a decent living from it and get service, why, you have to pay for it. Is that all you have to say, Mrs. Haynes? Mrs. HAYNES. That is all. Mr. BATES. Thank you very much. Mrs. HAYNES. Thank you. Mr. BATES. IS Mr. Humphreys here? STATEMENT OF WILLIAM E. HUMPHREYS, CHAIRMAN, LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TRUCKING ASSOCIATION, WASHINGTON, D. C. Mr. HUMPHREYS. Mr. Chairman, my name is William E. Humphreys, and I am the president of the Jacobs Transfer Co., operating 200 units. I am also chairman of the legislative committee of the District of Columbia Trucking Association, Inc., and I represent 1,400 trucks in that association, 59 carriers, and 150 associated members. We consume 3,000,000 gallons of gasoline each year. I am here today to represent that organization at the direction of its executive committee, to voice its opposition to any increase in the gasoline tax in the District of Columbia. Nobody likes to feel the pinch of an increase in taxes. But I am not here today to holler "ouch" for myself nor for the trucks of this city. I have come here to point to a basic principle of street and highway finance, which seems to have been lost sight of by the people who propose an increase in the gasoline tax and who, by doing just that, still further aggravate a wrong that has too long existed in the District of Columbia. Gentlemen, you are aware, I am sure, as Joseph B. Eastman pointed out in his intensive study and inquiry into the public aids to transportation, that Highways and streets are useful in many ways that are not related to the operation of motor vehicles; there is a certain minimum standard of highway and street construction which would be essential for the conduct of society and the maintenance of a reasonable standard of living had there never been a motor vehicle. While obvious, these facts are sometimes overlooked in discussions of the proper allocations of street and highway costs. Bureau regulates at $45 a week for the average cab driver, the wages or earnings. Mr. BATES. Forty-five dollars a week? Mr. HATHAWAY. That is the only figure I have. Mr. HATHAWAY. Yes, sir; as I understand it. Mr. HATHAWAY. But I do not feel that they are actually making that, but that is what they seem to think they are, and that is the only Mr. BATES. What do you think it is? Mr. HATHAWAY. I do not know. Mr. BATES. Do they give any personal secrets away? Mr. HATHAWAY. Well, you have two types of people, Mr. Chairman: You have the ones who are saying they make a lot and the ones who say they are not making a living; but I would say in the neighborhood of $5 a day. Mr. BATES. Five dollars a day? Mr. HATHAWAY. Yes, sir. Mr. HATHAWAY. Yes. Mr. BATES. Six days a week? Mr. BATES. Do you mean to tell me that the taxi drivers are making only $30 a week? Mr. HATHAWAY. That is right, exactly right. But if you take into consideration how the taxicab industry has grown during the war, you can see that it is absolutely possible. As I said before, it was somewhere in the neighborhood of-how many would you say were licensed during-before the inspection? Mr. ALDEN T. KEETING (Yellow Cab Co. of D. C., Inc.). It is near 10,000, sir. Mr. HATHAWAY. Is that what it is? I said nine five. Mr. KEETING. Speaking for the Yellow Cab Co., we operate a thousand cabs, and we lost, I think, 31 out of that total. Mr. BATES. Then, if you have a thousand cabs and you only lost 31; and if you had 10,000, you would lose approximately 300. Mr. KEETING. I am just speaking of my own fleet. Mr. HATHAWAY. Mr. Keeting might point out that he has the bestequipped fleet in the city. Mr. KEETING. Mr. Chairman, I do have four of my drivers here, and some of those questions you were asking of Mr. Hathaway could, perhaps, be answered by them since they would be in a better position to know that. Mr. BATES. What do you have to say yourself, Mr. Keeting? Mr. KEETING. I have a brief statement, sir, which I would like to file, and I would like to go along with the chairman in his request for making this meeting as brief as possible, and I would like to introduce these drivers. Mr. BATES. I was just getting to that question, because I think in the District of Columbia from my observation, and from the observa tion of practically every member of Congress, that the caliber of your cab drivers in the District is way up above any community I know. Mr. KEETING. It certainly is, sir. Mr. BATES. And it seems to me pretty unfair to ask them to drive 10 and 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, for $30 a week. Mr. KEETING. I would like to have you ask those boys that question. Mr. BATES. I am on the District Committee, but I wish I was on the subcommittee, and I think I would go into this very thoroughly. Mr. KEETING. When you talk in that tone of voice, I wish you were, too, sir. Mr. BATES. In fact, I think I have already talked to one of the men in the what do they call it-the public utilities here about it. Mr. KEETING. Yes, sir. Mr. BATES. I think it ought to be gone into. Mr. KEETING. It certainly ought to, sir. Mr. BATES. If you are going to maintain the caliber of the drivers here in the District and expect men to have a decent living from it and get service, why, you have to pay for it. Is that all you have to say, Mrs. Haynes? Mrs. HAYNES. That is all. Mr. BATES. Thank you very much. Mrs. HAYNES. Thank you. Mr. BATES. IS Mr. Humphreys here? STATEMENT OF WILLIAM E. HUMPHREYS, CHAIRMAN, LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TRUCKING ASSOCIATION, WASHINGTON, D. C. Mr. HUMPHREYS. Mr. Chairman, my name is William E. Humphreys, and I am the president of the Jacobs Transfer Co., operating 200 units. I am also chairman of the legislative committee of the District of Columbia Trucking Association, Inc., and I represent 1,400 trucks in that association, 59 carriers, and 150 associated members. We consume 3,000,000 gallons of gasoline each year. I am here today to represent that organization at the direction of its executive committee, to voice its opposition to any increase in the gasoline tax in the District of Columbia. Nobody likes to feel the pinch of an increase in taxes. But I am not here today to holler "ouch" for myself nor for the trucks of this city. I have come here to point to a basic principle of street and highway finance, which seems to have been lost sight of by the people who propose an increase in the gasoline tax and who, by doing just that, still further aggravate a wrong that has too long existed in the District of Columbia. Gentlemen, you are aware, I am sure, as Joseph B. Eastman pointed out in his intensive study and inquiry into the public aids to transportation, that Highways and streets are useful in many ways that are not related to the operation of motor vehicles; there is a certain minimum standard of highway and street construction which would be essential for the conduct of society and the maintenance of a reasonable standard of living had there never been a motor vehicle. While obvious, these facts are sometimes overlooked in discussions of the proper allocations of street and highway costs. And what, gentlemen, did this greatest and most thorough-going of all students of transportation and highway problems find to be the proper allocation of costs of streets and highways? He found the percentage of annual costs chargeable to motorvehicle users for the years 1933-37-the last years covered by the study which took 7 years of research to derive he found the costs chargeable to motor vehicles users should be as follows: For State highways, 83 percent of the total cost; for county and local roads, 34 percent of the total costs; and for city streets, 30 percent of the total costs. In the District of Columbia there are nothing but city streets. Yet, according to the proposed budget figures of the District of Columbia Highway Department for the years 1947, 1948, and 1949, the motorist will pay in gasoline taxes, registration and weight taxes, and motor vehicle fees, not 30 percent, but in excess of 69 percent of the projected revenue of the Highway Department. Gentlemen, the situation is in reverse. Here in Washington we motorists bear 70 percent of the burden of the street system, and derive only 30 percent of the benefits. On the other hand, the general public bears but 30 percent of the costs, even when we assign to them moneys received in Federal aid, and derive 70 percent of the benefits of our streets. This is a taxation truly out of balance. Here is taxation of a special class for the moneys that should come from the general funds. Additional funds should come from general funds if they are needed. The need for additional highway and street funds has not been clearly demonstrated to us. I have got the greatest respect for Captain Whitehurst. I am inclined to agree with Captain Whitehurst, when, less than a month ago he was speaking at the convention of the Association of Highway Officials of the North Atlantic States. Captain Whitehurst pointed out that unstable prices and uncertainties in the labor market have retarded construction. "Never before," he said, "have more funds been available for building and never have there been such unstable conditions-engineering estimates accurate today are likely to be obsolete tomorrow." Gentlemen, in the face of statements such as these, can increased taxes on motorists be seriously considered? We think not. I have looked over Captain Whitehurst's extensive program, and it is a beautiful nightmare. It may come into existence in the next 25 or 30 years. But it would be impossible with labor, material, and costs of construction to carry it through in less time than that. I have looked at his beautiful program on K Street, fine. But what do we want with it? Washington has got the most beautiful streets and the best streets in this country, and I have seen quite a few of them; there is plenty of room on the streets, Mr. Chairman. If we just could get away from using the streets for parking purposes, that would solve the problem that we have. There would be no object in building streets, building these beautiful highways, and then parking on them. There is no other city in the country where 12 o'clock at night you cannot get through the street because there are so many cars on it. Go to Baltimore, go to Philadelphia, Atlantic City, St. Louis, Cincinnati, you can drive as fast as you want. The members of the District of Columbia Trucking Association, Inc., are opposed to any increase in gasoline tax here in Washington because they feel it represents an unneeded increase in "class taxation" for the benefit of the general public, a public, gentlemen, which has not in years past, and does not today, carry its share of the financial burden of our street system. Thank you, sir. Mr. BATES. Thank you very much, Mr. Humphreys. Mr. HUMPHREYS. Thank you. Mr. BATES. Is Mr. Carry here? STATEMENT OF JAMES B. CARRY, SUPERINTENDENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR THE CHESTNUT FARMS-CHEVY CHASE DAIRY, WASHINGTON, D. C. Mr. CARRY. My story is not going to be very long, Mr. Chairman. My name is James B. Carry, and I am superintendent of transportation for the Chestnut Farms-Chevy Chase Dairy, Washington, D. C. We operate about 375 vehicles in the city of Washington, and we consume approximately 40,000 gallons of gasoline per month, or about 450 some odd thousand per year. We are opposed to the gasoline tax raise because it will increase our operating costs of about 45 hundred dollars per year, and as you know, any raise in operating costs must come out of the milk bottle. I am also informed by Mr. Keller that there is approximately-the rest of the dairies in the city consume about 60,000 more gallons per month, making a total of about 100,000 gallons per month. It has been my experience over the years that any taxes put on very rarely come off. That is about all I have to say. Mr. BATES. How many trucks have you got all together, Mr. Carry? Mr. CARRY. 375. Mr. BATES. You have not had a chance to look over this program. have you? Mr. CARRY. No, sir; I have not seen it. Mr. BATES. I suppose in laying out any type of a program for a community, whether it is a highway program or a building program or construction program or any other type of program, it ought to be geared into a long-range need. The Highway Department has developed such a program of that type. I have not had a chance to examine it myself at the moment, but I wanted to do that and also make some studies of the 5-year program, those that have a priority over the others in the longrange program, and the necessity of any new sources of revenue such as the gasoline tax to finance that type of program. I had hoped that somebody representing these organizations, along with Mr. Keller, would have had an opportunity of making a complete study of that long-range program and the short-range program, and then give us the benefit of their thoughts as to the need of those improvements, say, in the short-range program that would require an increase in the tax rate, if it were going to be consummated. That would be valuable information for the committee because it would |