The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-13
TELLS WHY CARS
SEEM CROWDED
United Railroads Official
Explains to Arbitrators
That It Is ALI Illusion
CHAPMAN ON STAND

Maps, tables. graphic charts and high
officials were introduced in evidence by
the United Railroads yesterday in the
arbitration proceedings The charts IL
| lustrated and the general superintend-
ent and general manager elucidated the
fact that the cars of the company were
not overcrowded
"They have the appearance of being
overcrowded, 1t is true,s General Super
fntendent E. d. Hibbs admitted, "but
this Is really an Illusion. The fact is
that a large proportion of the leisure
class Is out of town mt present, and
those who ride ON the cars are for the
greater part mechanics and Iaborers.
These men like the open air and for
that reason they have got into the
habit of riding ON the outside of the
cars. That makes the cars look III
they were crowded, but really there Is
always plenty of room inside.''
Hibbs said that he was once an ac-
countant. and he proceeded to unfold
table which dealt with an imaginary
quantity known to railroad accountants
as "car mile" There was magic In 1t.
BY a dexterous use of the car mile
Hibbs was able to prove to the arbf-
traitors that there was really but one
| fifth of one person more on the cars
now than before the fire. One-fifth of
| an individual couldn't produce over
crowding. and consequently the cars of
the company were not overcrowded. all
optical Illusions to the contrary.
AT a first glance one is likely to be
mistaken Hibbs testified. But the
number of passengers carried per car
mile before the fire was 1868, while
now it is only 12.42. But it is not fair
to take into this consideration the Fill
more street and the Fillmore Hill lines,
| t.
| normal. Eliminating them it is seen
by the chart that the number of pas
sengers now being carried per car mile
is only 1886. or but two-tenths of one
passenger more than rode on the cars
before the earthquake
Such was the testimony of the expert
accountant. That there was something
wrong with this calculation was evil
dent from the fact that the Devisadero
extension line appeared on the chart
as the third most congested line oper-
ated in the city. This line is composed
of single car which shunts back and
forth between Sacramento and jackson
streets on Devisadero, but by the car
mile" system of expert testimony 1t ap-
peared in the chart as horribly con-
gested.
Other tables presented by the witness
showed that before the fire the com
pany operated 397 cars during the day
and sos during the rush hours between
and in the afternoon, while now
there are 32s cars operated in the day
and $40 in the rush period
AS basis of comparison Hfbbs had
taken the month of March before the
fire and July after the fire. When
questioned as to why he had selected
July instead of October or November
to illustrate the present condition. he
replied that the charts were made in
September
Don't you know that there were
thousands of people out of the CITY in
July?" asked Johnson. The witness
was not aware of it
Don't you know that the travel is
not only greater. but that 1t is i'm
mensely greater now than il was in
JULY was asked, but the witness said
that he had no data by which he was
able to make such deduction
we viii prove" continued Johnson,
that the company was running more
cars two years ago, when 1t was carry
ing 20 per cent less passengers If
1t was earning million dollars then.
and If 1T is earning five million dollars
now, we contend that the men who do
the actual labor are entitled to a share
In this increased income"
That Is socialism-rank socialism,
exclaimed A. A Moore, in suppressed
indignation.
At the afternoon session George F.
Chapman, the vice president and gen
eral manager of the company. was on
the stand. He testified that he had be-
gun his career as a car conductor In
1888 and that he had risen through
the various positions to that which he
now holds. He said:
From twenty-five years of expert
ence 1 can say that the eight-hour
schedule which the men now ask is in
fact impossible to grant. The running
day of the cars here is twenty hours.
1t is necessary to have the shifts double
or overlap during the rush hours in
the evening. On this account ii would
be impossible for the company to ar
range a schedule on the eight-hour
basis
Richard Cornelius. president of the
union, has prepared and submitted an
eight-hour timetable, but the company
objects to this, as it would compel
many of the men to work eight hours
consecutiveIy. Cornelius replied that
he would be perfectly willing for the
company TO allow the men fifteen min
utes off in the middle of this eight
hours, but the reply was that it would
be impossible to arrange for this.
Chapman's statement included the
promise to operate the following lines
within the periods assigned Sixth
street, three days; Sansome street four
teen days; Jackson and Washington
cable, twenty days; Sacramento and
Clay cable, thirty days, and all the
lines owned by the company by the
early part of the year 1907.
w. L. Growall Co.. tailors, have re-