The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-18
THE HIRING OF COACHES
Undertakers to Reorganize to
Keep Up the Five Dollar
Rate.

The prospects Of a lively row among the
undertakers of Hudson county over the pro-
posed plan of reorganizing the Hudson
County Undertakers' Association are very
bright at present. The trouble has been
brewing for some time, and it will begin as
soon as the association is organized. As an
| nounced exclusively In THE JERSEY CITY
NEWS two weeks q the object of reviving
the association at this time is to settle the
trouble among O dozen or more prominent
u~ndertakers, some of whom are accused of
cutting the rates of carriage hire.
The more prominent undertakers of this
city and Hoboken have decided to ~reorganize
the association, and a meeting for this pun
pose will be held some time next week. These
undertakers have promised TO uphold the five
dollar rate and the other funeral directors
who do not join the association, and who cut
the rate will be blacklisted. As it is Gus
tomary for the undertakers to hire each
others coaches, the more prominent..ones can
| practically control the coach letting bust
ness, as they have the greater number Of the
vehicles.
THOSE WHO v REORGANIZATION.
Among the undertakers who are pushing
the scheme OF reorganization are:-Messrs.
Coyle, W, 81. Speer and Zeiger Bros. All
the undertakers of Hoboken are unanimous
for the reorganization, and they will give
the above gentlemen all the assistance they
can to bring the offending funeral directors
Of this city to time.
A gentleman who is interested In the reor-
ganization when interviewed by a reporter
OF the JERSEY CRY NEWS last evening,
said
1.-THE association will surely be -reorganized
| and as all the prominent uudertakers in the
| county are heartily in favor of the plan you
can depend upon it that we viii bring the
= ..-l - t-1rNe ~ <rw1D 49, a1-@ -sr
them out of business. Nc doubt, the public
believes that we are fighting for a monopoly
in order to get rich in hiring out coaches,
| and if the people think SO, they are mistaken.
NJ undertaken can make a fortune
in letting out coaches at the
five dollar rate. The public today is receiv-
ing better service IAN the use of finer
vehicles than it ever did before, The coaches
today must be in first-class order and have
every appearance of a private vehicle. The
| day has passed when rattle-trap, unpublished
coaches could be put into service. When q
party hires q coach nowadays the exterior of
the vehicle must have a mirror polish, and
the interior must be fitted neatly with the
best Of covered cushions, or else 1t will be
| rejected. Now to keep q coach in this con-
dition a snug sum of money must be spent.
'To begin with the coaches cost us from
5000 to 81, 200. A double set Of harness costs
81. so, and a good team of horses cannot be
| secured Tor less q $oUU. 80 you see a nr6t
class outfit such as the public is receiving to-
day costs ever 81, 800. Then whenever we
LET out a coach the driver has to be paid
from So, to $3.50 a day. Now let any one
| figure out how often we nave to let out q
coach before we secure back the amount of
our investment. In addition to the afore-
| mentioned cost we have to pay a snug sum
twice a year to keep the vehicle polished Inc
in good running order.
o "CUT" ANYWAY.
II am certain that any undertaken who
| rents a coach for 81 cannot give the public
| the fine vehicles they are now giving. But
even If we did consent to a 81 rate there are
| certain undertakers in the county who
would let coaches for $3.50 and even 50.
| There is no question about the ~reorganiza-
ton Of the association The undertakers Of
the county who wish to give their
patrons good service must stand to
| gether. I nave the assurances of
| all the prominent funeral directors OF
the county that they will join and when the
| organization is affected they will control the
| coach hiring business of the county. These
| undertakers who are not members will have
to come to time, as we will refuse to loan
| the coaches, and they viii be unable to get
| them unless they go to New York, and they
| will not do this, as the distance is too great,
| and much valuable time would be lost"