The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-12-06
FOR BETTER CARS
BOARD OF TRADE TO ASK
IMPROVED SERVICE.
Mayor Kenny Cites Figures to Show
How Much Is Being Made
Out of Kearny.

trolley car service, Mayor Edward Kenny,
of East Newark. once more took a rap at
that corporation at a meeting of the West
Hudson County Board of Trade, at Rior-
dams Hall, Harrison, last night, and fol-
lowing his criticism a resolution Was
adopted instructing Philip A. McAvinney.
secretary Of the board, to communicate
with Governor-elect John Franklin Fort
and the Legislature, asking that a public
utilities commission. composed of "compe-
tent, fearless men," be established and
that it be the duty of that body to as
slst the officials of the street railway COM
pany in furnishing the public with suit
able car service.
On suggestion of Assemblyman Joseph
A. Riordan, of Harrison. it was agreed,
however, to consult first with the Public
Service Corporation officials, through a
committee consisting of ten members Of
1.-THE board, and request relief from the
bad service.
ut is always wise" said Assemblyman
Riordan, ito deal with these corporations
in a nice way. 1t is better to draw them
on with molasses, than to use vinegar.
The committee named will confer with
the Public Service men soon and copies
Of the resolution will also be forwarded
to Governor-elect Fort and the Legisia-
ture.
Mr.. Kenny's speech was in part as
follows:
Something ought to be lone to compel
the street car ompany to furnish decent
accommodations for the people VINO are
Obliged to ride on the cars OF the hearny
lines to reach their homes. The cars are
small and ill-kept, and the people In the
cars are indecently crowded and packed
together In a manner that the law VIII
not permit cattle to be carried IN cars.
The line is a profitable one, and our people
deserve decent treatment. Time and again
the Board of Trade has protested against
I the outrageous treatment daily perpetrated
on our people, and the Town Council or
Kearnv has frequently taken the matter
up with the trolley people. As a result a
few larger cars were put on for a rev
days. and then taken off and our people
again relegated to barbarie and indecent
conditions. AS the people who control the
running of those cars have shown them
selves to be utterly incompetent TO proper
lv accommodate the traffic and to respond
to the demands Of our people for decent
treatment, 1 think we ought to call upo
the Legislature to PASS a bill for a puDllc
| utilities commission to oversee and assist
the incompetent management of the street
railroads and deliver our people from the
miserable incompetency of the present
management. .
s'The' Kearny line is one of fthe most
profitable lines running in the vicinity
of Newark. In point of total annual re-
ceipts Ii is the ninth, out of twenty lines,
and in point of mileage the receipts is the
sixth of the twenty lines that are oper-
ated in and about Newark, as the follow
ing figures will show:
Receipts of passenger fares last year:
Broad street and Belleville, $4SS, 314.7 rs;
South Orange, $45s, 95S. Al West Orange,
1892, S25.O2; Plank Road, sSS9, 200.61: Bloom
field, $329,50 SO; Turnpike. $2s5, 255. 96;
500. AS. 49,: Kearny. 800, 7Os. "A; Paterson,
$3.50, 1875. sS; Mount Prospect, SIT, 015. 80; Cen
trail avenue. S1e4.745.OS; Roseyille. Sl4S,
1888: Kinney street, $lS, $3.50; CInton
avenue. s97, ATS. 80; Bergen street, $74,527 So
Main line. $64.S77 &c; Mulberry street, ST.
701. &c: Trenton line, $13, 49z.0S; Chapel street,
$4.33s.S2.
mile are as Follows: West Orange, $33.4S1;
Roseville, 10000; South Orange. SIG, 231
Broad street and Belleville, S6,211; Central
avenue, $40, 425; Kearny, $1S,196; Plank road,
SIG, S67; Springfield avenue, s16.5S3; Turn
pike, SIG. 244; Kinney street, S15, COZ; Bloom
field, Sl5,3S3; Mount prospect. s13,SS3;
Bergen street, $3.50: Paterson. $500 main
line. S7.57S; Mulberry street. $I,0o2; Tren-
ton. "a, 410; Chapel street, 1924
The company reports that It operates
that in the year 1906 the Kearny line car
ried $685. S1 passengers. and that the
twenty-five cars made l66 daily trips. II
will thus be seen that out OF the twenty
ark the Kearny line is ninth In total re-
ceipts and sixth In total receipts per mile,
and that instead of e~ndeavorlng decently to
meet the requirements OF the trafilc ana
give our people some decent return for
the money paid, the cars In which the
Kearny people are obliged to rid to reach
their homes are such as are run on the
Mulberry street line, the Chapel street
line and the Bergen street line.
ut will be seen by the above figures mat
the people of Harrison, Kearny and East
Newark pald last year to the trolley COM
pany over 100000 as a tax for the privilege
of riding on those street cars, while u
comparison thereto the whole amount paid
by the people of Harrison, Kearny ana
East Newark for the support OF the gov
eminent of the towns, the support OF me
schools and the State school tax and the
county, government, amounts to the sum
of S415, S76.54. Surely the trolley company
| collects from our people a enormous tax
for a very Indifferent and a most indie
fTbese figures are startling and show the
tremendous amount of money paid by our
people TO the trolley company for the mis-
cradle treatment our people receive. JUS
lei us look at the figures and make com
parison of the tax our people pay for the
| government of the towns, the operation OF
the schools, the support of other pubic
schools in other parts of the State, and for
The support of the county government:
I'VE pay f%orcounty government, $s9,6Sa5l'
we nay for trolley car service, over $5O0-
900; we pay for State school tax, $35,59lIt;
we nav for trolley car service, over $500,
600: we pay for the support of our local
public schools az schools), $S,S1S,4S; we
nav FOR trolley car service, over $500, O0O,
we pay for the support of the local gov
erinnlent OF the three towns (Harrison $lO2,-
900. Kearny $96, go. East Newark $4,000,
S211. no.; we pay for trolley car service,
$500, 000.
S that while our people pay $415,s76.5l
for the cost OF running the government Of
the three towns the twelve schools of the
three towns, the county government and
for the State schools, we pay the enoT-
nous tax OF over S3o0, 900 to the trolley COM
pany for miserable and indecent service"
The Rev. Roland s. Dawson, pastor o..
the Knox Presbyterian Church, Kearny,
a p.raxaH Mr. KPnnN'S comments
Mayor Kenny has said much" said M,
Dawson. land what has been said was
said well. We should follow up this ques-
tion with a delegation, and seek the assist
ance of the Arlington Board OF Trade. II
ought to be pushed along to the Legisia-
ture and Senate. We all have had expert
ence on crowded cars, and 1t is a great
hardship, especially on women and tho
Michael Murphy. of East Newark. said
he favored having Mayor Kenny's re-
marks spread upon the mute Of the
secretary's book. 1t was decided to ave
the speech printed
Assemblynian Riordan said that he
wanted TO corroborate Mr.. Kenny's points.
'iGenltenen,n he urged. mot only pass
p resolution on this important subject Of
having decent cars n enough of them,
but follow IT up. Don't fall dead. but
send a delegation TO wait upon the Public
Service officials and demand what you de-
sire in a forcible way
Acting President George A. Bond, OF the
board. then moved the following as a
committee to consult with THE Public
Service, Joseph A. Riordan, of Harrison;
Samuel Worthington. of Kearny; Robert