The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-28
WEDNESDAY, MAY ss, 1902.
RETURNING CAR FARES.

The chicago newspapers are advocating innovation in street railway regula- tions which The News thus sets out, and we copy it's article in full, because of its sound logic.
 In approving the pro osed ordinance re- auiring the return of fares to the street. csf passengers who suffer more than ten minutes delay because of breakdowns cn the traction lines. the City Council will be doing an act of simple justice to the pub lie. While the traction companies in many cases do offer transfer tickets to the passengers thus detained. the lines upon which the transfers are good do not always take the passengers where they want to go. The company's patrons have paid for ride over certain route and to given destination and the company has faii&d to fulfill it's contract. When. as has happened in the case of the north side cable system, the breakdown is gem eral, the proffered transfer ticket is of no value whatever. The passenger has paid for a ride. but he, has to walk.
 An ordinance compelling the companies to return the fares or issue coupons good for a full ride simply requires them to do q manifest duty. A merchant who fails to deliver the goods for which he has re- ceiyed payment recognizes that he must return the sum paid. Street-railway companies should be made to observe the same rule. The present ordinance Is ex- ceedingiy mild ir its provisions. It grants the company full ten minutes In which to try to get it's system in operation again. 1t does not require the companies to re- turn fares where they are not responsible for the stoppages or break-downs. On this point indeed. 1t is more consderate of the traction interests than it need be since the loss from interrupted traffic or business logically falls on the seller and not on the buyer.
 This is specially inter esting to the peo- pie of Montgomery. who have so often suffered from the causes above men, fioned, It has in the past been no un- usual thing for all the street-cars to stop at once and leave the passengers in the air. so to speak. The stoppage may last q few minutes, or an hour. or several hours. It is impossible for the motormen and conductors who are scattered all about the city, to know the cause of the delay or it's limit They are as ignorant of the cause and as powerless to remedy 1t as the passengers are. All they can do is to set quiet and wait for something to happen. All the passengers can do is to
 
 sit and wait, or get out and walk, and they usually do the latter, unless their time is of no value
 Transfers, alluded to by The News, would be of no value here in a majority of instances. As 4 general thing. a pas senger who wants to go to one part of the city must go on certain car. or walk a considerable distance. and if only one car was disabled. and transfers were given. 1t would. be of little benefit in a majority of cases. It might in some cases work hardship on the company to be enmpelled to return fares or to give cou- spons. as suggested but oh the other hand il is a hardship in all cases for passen- gers to be compelled to walk to their Vaccinations after they have paid to ride. Whichever way We view it. there may be some injustice but the fact remains that man is entitled to what he pays for, and if the company is unable to give 1t to him, it should mt keep his money.