The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-09-14
STREET CAR COST
1t Takes Twenty Trips to Pay
for One Lonely Tie.
A Rail Requires 900 Clicks of
the Cash Register.
A POPULAR OUTDOOR SPORT
TOpekans Love to Complain of
Car Service.
Street Railways Abused, Bat
tered Corporations.
A POPULAR OUTDOOR SPORT

One of the most popular Indoor ard
outdoor sports, spring, summer, foil
and winter, is 20 slam your fists on the
table. grind your teeth until thew
ache. swear a the top of your voice
and pile up like blocks, complaints on
the street car service. Everybody
dom it. They always have done it
and even if the Topeka Railway com
pany installed half-minute service,
furnished triple truck cars, provided
free cigars with added lunch, and CT
fered bonus 10 passen gers-someone
would rise up and with clenched fists
declare that the company should nave
cut flowers in every window.
It's a part of human nature-thls
street car indigestion-and congestion.
In every city in the world you VIII
find strap hangers who are hunting
with a hangman's moose, the superln-
D tendent of the street railway Two
subjects always come up for discus
sion when the commuters ride down
town in the mOrning-the weather anu
the rotten street car service"
Topeka street car patrons are Ike
all of them-they will wipe the morn
ing egg from the corners OIL tne}r
mouths and rave because the car was
thirteen secold late at their street
crossing It's great sport-even pa
tent conductors laugh with the pa
irons and agree that the superinten-
dent should have job greasing the
tracks.
Albert NJ 3oatten, general superin-
tendent of the Topeka and Wlchlta
street railways. is a philosopher he
realizes Topeka should nave ma
minute service on every line in toWr-
He agrees that the cars should pc
eight times as long as they are-Wlth
a seat for each passenger. lie knows
that it is an outrage for patron 70
wait longer than thirteen SECONDS Tor
car He insists that cents Is just
4 cents too high for fares-and he
considers it ridiculous that transfers
are not universal and not accePIeu
after they are five hours Id
Patten Has New idea.
As a philosopher, he realizes all
these things AS a railway superb
tendent, of course, he IS rather Iiou
est about coming right out ana en-
forcing his views ne Wo ,. 4iiit;ae
@-ether wait until the public util!tles
%ornrnission and the city COMMISSION
ers kindly request these accommo oS-
tions-then he seems anxious 10 p-a-e
them in effect. .4,, s.+~ea+
car Messengers and a man VINO tries
tn run a street car system to the saL3s-
faction of the stockhoI ers--he III
no such promises to the patrons
Contrary to the belief of many street
car baters it costs money to run a
street railway system. Strange, ism
it? General superintendent Patten
allowed a visitor to so through one "
I,{s exDenditure books the other day
and he found many interesting feat
ures that will make the hlch-
ing. snorting. stomach-aching passen-
ger stop and think.
For instance:
Cost of Street Car Appliances.
Did you ever stop to realize that
YOU have to make twenty trips on
car before your fares will amount to
the cost of one wooden tie. Think OF
one tiei And the Topeka RAN
way company recently purchased 10,
90 ties It will take 200, 600 fares to
pay for these ties.
And the rails. Each rail costs $45. !
In other words, you have to take 900
rides before your receipts pay Tor one
rail. Probably you ride on the street
car an entire year before you drop
enough nickels in the box to pay for
one steel rail.
That little punch the conductor uses
TO designate your transfers-it takes |
Is rides to pay for one of those
And the transfers them !
selves=the Topeka company pays ST. |
500 a year to have these printed. Re
duce it to rides-it requires 81, 600 /
to pay the cost of printing |
something that is given away.
The conductors pay2 To carry this /
fare synonym on-the conductor has i
to collect thirty fares before his days |
wages fall in the box. 1t costs $S5,-