New-York tribune., 1901-05-30
SEATS FOR ALL A DREAM.
PRESIDENT VREELAND DECLARES ITS
REALIZATION Is A PHYSICAL
IMPOSSIRILITY

President Vreeland of the Metropolitan Street
Railway Company asked yesterday what he
thought of the proposal to have a city ordinance
passed making 1t Illegal for passengers to ride
standing up in the open
ut would suit very we'll" he replied be
when the open Overcrowded by
persons standing up between the seats our con-
ductors cannot collect all the fares, and we lose
money"
Why do you not. then. order your conductors to
prevent people from standing up in the open cars?
There are several reasons. One is that the pub
lie would resent IT. They want to be carried to
their destinations quickly. If they can be carried
in seat, much the better; but if they can't
get a seat they want to be carried almost any old
way long they get there without delay.
They would resent being forced to stand the
curb waiting for car with empty seats in it,
Gould not their resentment be assuaged by put
ting more Cars?'
1T could not and I will tell you why. If our
tracks in Broadway completely covered with
a string of cars. bumper touching bumper all the
way from the Battery to Thirty-fourth-st.. they
would not afford for moro than one-third of
the people who desire to ride in those cars in the
rush hours
Are you at present running all the you can
in the rush hours?"
I've are. That statement might not appear true
To an observer counting the ears as they pass him
at certain points on the road but the test Of the
limit of capacity be applied only at a crossing
like Twenty-third-st. and Broadway. for instance
There you have cars coming north. south. east and
west on intersecting tracks. These cars are sent
over the intersection on ten second headway in
the rush hours, and that is the limit of safety.
y" matter how many cars should put our
tracks they could not be passed over that inter
section any faster than at present but would he
matted and backed up upon the other thus
forming long lines, bockadinE the streets and
giving no better service TO our passengers than
Granting. then" said the reporter that YOU
can offer the public cars in the rush hours.
what would you say to a city ordinance making IL
lHegal Tor persons to ride standing up In the open
cars at any time except during the rush hours?"
our conductors would be mauIed half TO death"
from their cars passengers who wanted ride
standing up. One conductor could possibly
guard all the entrances to open car. and people
VIII climb on whether the seats all full
We could not undertake 10 make our conductors
do police duty by throwing these people off and
enforcing such law If II passed
. ! et, IT a passenger complains conductor
that only four persons are filling a seat and pre-
force thcm 10 make room for him. on the ground
that the compauys rule is five persons tn a seat.
Is not that a sort of police duty-enforcng the
cnmpauNl law And again. if n passenger refuses
TO pay hi%fare, the conductor Will promptly throw
him of. ls not that sort of police duty? What is
to prevent the conductor refusing To collect fares
from persons who ride standing up in the open
cars ordering such persons TO set out of the
and enforcing his order?'
Mr.. Nreelaud did not reply at once 10 this aues-
uon. but after a while said he thought the public
was educated up TO expecting To paw fares or get
out. ana therefore only one in a thousand refused
to pay, but the process Of educating New Workers
up 10 the point where they would not fight to ride
standing up II they wanted to would he dithcult
and so full OF strife To deter conductors from
undertaking IL.