The herald., 1894-12-21
BLOW At CROWDED STREET CARS
The Chamber of Commerce Has
an Investigation.
Finds Inadequate and Inefficient
Accommodations
Women Often Compelled to Ride Stand
ing From Ono End OF the Lins
to tho Other.

The question of inadequate facilities
afforded by the street railways of this
city has been coming into prominence
for some time. On numerous occasions
tho city council has made little side jsbs
at the matter, and the city attorney has
given 1t ss his opinion that the council
has no remedy in the law for the neg
leot Of street car company to accom-.
modate its patrons.
The chamber of commerce has now
taken hold OF the matter, and COM
mittee appointed by that body to invest
igate, reports that the service Ia made
quate and inefficient.
The committee was appointed by the
chamber OF commerce at Its regular
Neeting on December 9th. The com~
mittee reported at the regular meeting
ON December 10Th, and the report was
unanimously adopted. Yesterday it was
presented to the council and will be
heard by that body on Monday next.
The report is "a follows;
Your committee which was appointed
10 look into the treatment which the
public is receiving from the street rail-
ways in this city, beg to report as fol-
lows:
We find that in many respects the
service is inefficient and inadequate.
Passengers (both men and women) are
often compelled to stand from one end
OF the line to the other in consequence
OF the company not running sufficient
number Of care.
Many OF the cars run on the cable
lines are totally unfit to be used in rainy
or cold weather. They subject passen-
gers to exposures which are likely to re-
suit in sickness and death. Ths Same
may be said OF tbs trailsrs run on tho
electric lines.
( Service is now ~ TO 10 minutes on
the University line and 10 on the Pico
street and other electric linee. On one
or two horse-csr lines the servics is 40
to 45 minutes. The car that has been
running on Ninth street for several
months is so dilapidated that 1t is q dis
grace to the city.
In our opinion at least three min.
ute, or at most q five minute service.
should be given during the hours of 4
to $3.50 p. m.
Oars in rainy weather, when the
streets are muddy. should be stopped at
the crosswalks without reference to the
absence of safety devices on both the
electric and cable roads.
The franchise recently passed by the
city council grants the electric company
permission to occupy such streets as
Fifth, Ninth and Figueroa, for two
years longer. without operating them.
We are aware of no law which gives the
oouncil authority to permit q road which
has once been operated to remain un-
used for any such length OF time.
This same franchise contains clause
requiring the company to carry the
mayor and councilmen free. This is a
clear violation OF the constitution of the
state, and subjects these officials to the
suspicion of being under such obliga-
tions to the street railway company, as
to incapaoitate them from dealing firm
ly snd fairly with such matters as are
referred to in this report.
The state law and the several fran
ohises require that Q reasonable service
be supplied. We recommend, there
fore. that the city council be urgently
requested to give immediate and vgor-
ous attention to the shortcomings herein
noted, and to such other matters as may
be necessary to insure the public the
reasonable service" to which they are
entitled, and which they have right to
demand.
We further recommend that the pro-
posed franchise for the construction and
operation OF an electric street railway in
the city of Los Angeles, and for which
bids were to be received up to and on
the 10th day OF December, 1894 be not
granted; that the granting OF euch fran
chise under any circumstances would be
destructive of the rights Of the citizens
living and owning property on and con-
tiguous to the street upon which said
proposed railway is to be constructed.
(Signed) M. L. GRAFT.
w. @. PATTERSON,
THO. A. EIsEN,
ANDREW MULLEN,
f. W. JONEs