The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-08
A BLOW TO BUSINESS
Retail Merchants Complain That
Poor Street Car Service Is Cost
/, 9 ing Them Dearly.

Thousands Wait Long for Cars Then
Walk or Ride on the
: s:5 Roof. !.
Street car service is still wretched in
Fire! said to myself, and hurried down
sengers had to wait longer on the street
corners than they did when the trouble
began the middle of last week. II any
thing, the merry hahas of the successful
passenger were harder to bear this cold
morning" j - ~ 49, %Ea5s Hi :;
Witness the following on the Fourth av-
enue line at Franklin. 7:15 a.. M, first
car; S:30pa. M, second car-both crammed
to the guards: g a. m, fifty persons left
by last two cars still waiting. The First
avenue line, which IS supposed to be the
beau ideal of the city for local traffic, did
not take, care of passengers effectuaily
until towards 10 % clock, The cars from
eight to nine were packed insufferably
and the accommodating conductors en-
deavored to mollify the wrath Of as many
as possible by letting everybody on until
the schedule was awry.
Second hand air was furnished to the
| passengers all day yesterday and this
Ilnorning. Whether this condition results
| from a desire to save coal, or because the
conductors do mot. know any better has
Enot vet been determined by the coroner. /
Bad Service At Bad Time. (
- Business of all kinds has suffered be-
cause of the delayed cars. The retailers
| have experienced the greatest loss. They
are Striving to make the most OF their
| holiday trade: Every minute and every
customei. lost now counts materially. Yet
| the employees in the retail stores have all
been late in getting down to work. In
| the morning. Those employees have been
| late again when they have had to return
| to their posts. after supper. More import
ant than such delays has been the falling
off in custom. Patrons, especially women,
! who do the bulk of the Christmas shop
ping, have not ventured to go down town,
because they might have to wait 1ndef-
itely before they could get a street car,
not to mention a seat inside the car.
We've; lost thousands Of dollars already
because Of this poor street car service,
said L. S. Donaldson, proprietor OF Don
aldsons Glass Block. 'Our sales are
away off from what they were on the cor
responding days last year, This defective
car service is the only reason. The weather
overhead has been very favorable. Ladies
are not going to take chances between
pneumonia and neuralgia on. street cor
ners and broken ribs on street cars. The
women won't shop freely until the street
getting in at half past nine o'clock these
mornings instead of half past eight. Many
Of our clerks have had to walk long dis
tances. Some Of them have walked four
or five miles in the cold all the way from
Merriam Park"
G. F. Gordon, manager of the Minneapo-
lis Dry Goods company, complained espec-
tally of the Hennepin avenue lines along
which travel so many important patrons OF
the retail. stores. *'Why," said Mr.. Cor
don, II started to get car at 6:1O in the
evening and finally arrived at my home.
Hennepin avenue and Twenty-second
street. at o'clock-f1fty minutes to travel
that short distance. Th' cars going down
town don't even stop at our corner, that
delayed and overcrowded. let two cars
go by, then went back home and had my
coachman drive me down town. Posi-
lively that Hennepin avenue service is SO
slow that I have seen six cars pass In the
same direction along the, Eighth avenue
Hennepfn avenue. Yes, our employees are
very much delayed, and our business has
lost accordingly"
r. D. Jones of John w. Thomas & Co.,
was this morning given his first good view
of the situation He varied his usual rule
and came down town on a car, and when
his car. loaded to the limit, went whiring
CROWDS were waiting a chance to get
down town. he realized the force Of the
complaints of those who are regular pat
rons of the cars.
That the service affects business he
thinks there is no question. It affects
the handling Of affairs within the stores
by delaying the employees very seriously
1t deters many from attempting to do any
shopping at this time at all, and it causes
those who do venture down town to cut
their tours short in order to hurry home
before the regular evening rush begins.
! The result is likely to be an accumulation
OF delayed shopping which will overtax
the stores on the nearer approach of
Christmas. .-.
Clerks outrageousIy Delayed
|. At the Powers department store, the
superintendent, A. N. La Croix, said that
their clerks had been outra geously de-
iayed. Some Of them contrive to gel
here by o'clock, a half hour late" said
MIR. La Croix, "some arrive at TO- and 2
few couldn't get in until II o'clock in the
morning. This lost-~tim isn't charged
against them because they can't come any
sooner But it's certainly no benefit tc
our business. The street car company
should show a little more energy. Bust
ness men and women can't afford to lose
so much time" =:
A Charitable View.
- 2
Manager r. Munzer of the New Store
was the only prominent retailer encount-
cred who retained some charity for the
errlng company. Yes he answered,
"our clerks have been delayed by the slow
| street cars. But those things can't al
| ways be helped. In every city there is
more or less delay at times on the street
car lines, and I believe that the service is
| better in Minneapolis than it is in either
Chicago or New York. I've noticed that
at 6 O'Clock, when SO many employees are
ready to go home, there isn't room for
half enough people on any car But if yo,,
go to the same corner al 40 or at 6 50
! the same day, you'll see plenty of vacant
| Seats in all the cars -
George Louden, secretary and treasurer
| of the Goodfellow Dry Goods company
| also takes q, charitable view of the situa-
ton. While the service may not be all
! the PUBLIC would like, by any means, Mr..