The San Francisco call., 1907-02-10
TROLLEY COMPANY
DEF|ES NEW LAW
Jersey City Ordinance for
Seat for All Passengers
Is Blocked by Officials
MANY STRAPHANGERS
BY g. G. Carlton

by -. g. Carlton
JERSEY CITY, N. j., Feb. 9.-On
January 21 last. Mayor Pagan of this
city, in special message to the Board
of Aldermen, complained of the intol-
erable street railway conditions, caused
by the refusal of the trolley company
to run a sufficient number of cars dur
ing the rush hours to provide seat for
each passenger of whom fare was
demanded
The street railway conditions in Jer-
sey City are much the same as in San
Francisco. Practically all of the car
lines are under the control of one COR
poration. The most important lines
radiate and diverge from the ferry
building up the main street of the city.
Thousands of New York business
men have their domiciles across the
bay of New York (North River). Just
as many of the San Franciscans have
their residences in Oakland, Berkeley,
Alameda and Sausalito. Thousands of
New Workers cross the river to Jersey
City during the rush hours. and they
are packed into the Jersey City trolley
cars like sardines in a box. The troll
ley company pays large dividends on
stock that is watered, just as the stock
of the United Railroads Investment
Company of San Francisco is watered,
and the Jersey City Company has stead
fastly refused to provide more cars for
the convenience of the passengers.
ORDINANCE Is PASSED
The Mayor of Jersey City saw the
temper of the people and had no diff
ficulty in inducing the Board of Alder
men, through its Board of Street and
Water Commissioners, to pass the fol-
lowing ordinance:
An ordinance regulating the running of trolley
cars:
The Mayor and Aldermen of Jersey City by
the Board of Street and Water Commissioners
for and on behalf of the municipality of said
city, do ordain follows:
Section l. That all corpora tions running troll
ley cars in this city be and they are hereby
required, between the hours of $50 and Z
ais at the Pennsylvania and Erie stations a
sufficient number of cars to provide with seat
every passenger from whom fare is demanded.
Section 2 That such companies shall run
sufficient number of cars from the said trolley
terminals at the Pennsylvania ferry and the
Erie ferry during the hours of $50 to p. M.
that persons desiring transportation thereon shall
not be kept waiting longer than minutes.
Section g. Any violation of any provision of
this ordinance shall render the company violating
the same liable TO a fine or penalty of $50 for
each ofense.
BASED ON OLD LAW
The ordinance was based on the orig
inal underlying franchise granted in
1859, which contains this provision:
The company shall start their cars
and run them from, at or near the Jer-
sey City ferry at such times as will
best accommodate the public, subject to
the further regulations of the Common
Council"
Immediately after the passage of
the new city ordinance passengers who
were obliged TO stand in crowded troll
ley cars and hang on to straps refused
to pay their fares. A meeting of the
directors of the street railway corpor-
alton was called. This is known as the
Public Service Corporation It also
furnishes the city with gas and cleo
tr1clty. 1t was unanimously agreed
that above all there should be no repe-
tition of the disgraceful scenes enact
ed In Brooklyn last summer when pas
sengers refused to pay more than FIVE
cents fare to Coney Island under the
ruling of an inferior court. So the di-
rectors Instructed their counsel to inn
mediately institute legal proceedings
to test the validity of the Jersey City
ordinance. Counsel thereupon applied
to judge for a rule to show cause
why a writ of certiorari should not be
granted taking the ordinance to the
Supreme Court for review. The Judge
granted the rule and it is returnable
next Monday.
STOPS ALL PROCEEDINGS
Inc court directed that in the mean
time all proceedings under the new city
ordinance be suspended. This practi-
cally amounts to an Injunction against
the passengers who refuse to pay fare
1t enjoins them from seeking to ride
free pending review of the case At
present there is a disposition on the
part OF the passengers to let the law
take its course, but frequently during
rush hours the straphangers, encour-
aged by the mere force of numbers, re-
fuse to pay, and the conductor is pow
erless. The police take their orders
from the city authorities and these are
all with Mayor Pagan in his campaign
for better traffic conditions So the
company, rather than have the entire
line blockaded by one carfuH of recall
citrant passengers. is frequently
obliged to suffer defeat for the time
being.
Mayor Fagan has been assured by
the Corporation Counsel of Jersey City.
George L. Record, that the Supreme
Court would uphold the validity of the
new city ordinance.
MAYOR SCORES COMPANY
In his message TO the Aldermen urg-
ing the passage of the ordinance Mayor |
Pagan said:
Up to this time the officials of the
public service corporation Operating
the trolley lines) have proceeded on the
theory that they were the sole judges !
OF the amount and quality of service
the corporation was to render the pub |
lie. II is evident we can have no re-
lief from the present conditions if they
are to continue to be the judges of
their own obligations to the city. I
think the time has come to make a
sharp and decisive test of the oues-