The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-10-04
Want Street Car Company to
 Sell Tickets INCREASE COST 25 PER CENT Few Persons, They Claim, Use Trans fers, While Many Used the Tickets-These Taxed for
 Benefit of Few.

A resolution was passed at the Conner cial club meeting yesterday afternoon requesting the city council to demand that the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company carry out the sense and letter of the contract entered into be- tween 1t and the city in regard to issuing transfers. The resolution was unanimous and will be sent to the city authorities and copy to the street railroad com pany at once
 second resolution was passed re- questing the street car company to re- sume granting the books containing 100 tickets for s4 This was also passed un- animously and a copy will be sent to the railway company The motion was made by r. M. Wood, who made lengthy talk in it's favor,
 The first resolution was introduced by G. H. Estes. who stated that the rail- way company was not living up to it's contracts and that he knew of cases where transfers were not given when they should have been under the contract Mir Estes said that 1t cost the ordinary cit izen about 25 per cent more to ride now than it did before and that if the citizens were going to pay for the transfers he believed in getting all that was coming to them.
 Increased Cost.
 He said the additional expense came through the railway company refusing to issue any more of the s4 books with 100 tickets in 1t; that the average man living In or around Birmingham does not wish tranfer and that he does not get one; that he was now forced to pay $5 for 100 rides whereas under the book system he had to pay only $4, an increase to the rail- way company of $1 or 25 per cent He said that he did not believe it cost the railway company an addition of 25 per cent to give transfers and that the club should request the city to look into the matter.
 Mr. Estes further stated that he knew the company was not living up to It's contract to give universal transfers He said he could go from South Highlands to Avondale and get transfer but that he could not go from Avondale to South Highlands and get a transfer. He said Avondale was in the 5-cent limit and that he was due a transfer in coming from that point and going to any other in the city.
 MT. Estes also stated that in the mast 60 per cent of the passengers living any distance from the center of the city used books, and that these people were forced to pay 25 per cent more now to ride; that only about 10 per cent of the 60 per cent would get transfers and that the majority was forced to pay for the con- venience of the few.
 Other Speeches.
 Several other members of the club made speeches indorsing him in his po- sition in regard to the transfers and a resolution passed that it be taken to the city council at once and investigated
 On the motion that the car company be requested to resume the giving of s4 books of tickets. MT. Wood, who intro- duced the resolution, said that the peo- pie of Woodlawn and other suburbs were required to pay 25 per cent more to ride now than they were before the change was made. He said that a very large per cent of the people living around Birming- ham only come to the city, and do not get transfer; that they were deprived of the special rate and received no bene- fit from the transfer system; that only about one person in twenty-five living In the suburbs got transfer. and that the other people were taxed cents day for the privilege of the few to secure transfers. The cents tax, he explained, was due to their having to pay cents ride instead of cents. as was the case with the books He said he thought those wishing a transfer should pay cash fare of cents. but those who do not want transfer should have the priv ilege of getting book of tickets.
 Resolutions Passed.
 The club then passed both resolutions unanimously and instructed the secre- tary to send copies of both to the rail- way company and the city council.
 George H. Davies, general manager of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company. would say little in con nection with these two resolutions. He said MT. Jamison was the person direct ly interested and that he would be the pTOptr IHdil tO see dS SOOil dS Ie TeLuTnSQ to the city MT. Davies, however, said:
 You may say that as far as we know there is only one city in the United States which is giving both transfers and tickets. That city is Washington D. C., and that the street company there went into the hands of a receiver as soon as it commenced giving both. No company can live giving transfers and tickets, and it is out of the question. We have had the same trouble in all other cities where we have been and in none ot them have we given both.
 "We are now giving a school children's rate of little over 2 cents a ride and loosing money on every one we haul It costs us more than that to carry a pas- senger-
 Mayor Drennen stated that a commit tee of working men had called on him and asked that the city look into she matter of transfers and books. and that the matter was brought up before the last meeting of the city council and re- ferred to the committee on street rail-