Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-09-20
Local Electric Car Service.


In another column We publish by
request the complaint of Halloween
citizen who has a grievance against
the electric car service. 1t is not the
first we have received, nor 1.-THE OF
that heard by every regular patron OF
the road. In some cases this criti-
cism is bitter.
1t is not our purpose TO condemn or
defend the management of the road.
The public will and is doing the first,
and it is for the company officials TO
look after the defence of their hand
ling of the roads affairs.
II is our business TO make a news
paper and we would not attempt to
manage a railroad or to give instrnc-
tons TO the management of rail
road. But ii is our business 10 know
what is going on and our province 10
make use of it for the general public
interest. 1t has become an accepted
newspapers to voice the peoples de-
sires and complaints.
We have been urged, frequently TO
express a public objection to the
habitual overerowdng of cars, on the
various lines of the local street rail
way, at certain hours of every day.
The squeezing of SO passengers into
car that will seat only SO savors rath-
err too much of the sardine business.
II does not make friends among those
who count upon patronizing the road,
il sounds rather rough in other cities
when told by those unfortunate
enough to be caught in the crush.
That is only single incident of the
last few DAYS. There are many, very
many, similar, some. worse, which we
need not partieularize. But the point
we wish to make and the question we
wish To have understood is: Does 1t
pay. as business proposition, to al
low such conditions To go on, and on,
taking every advantage of the pub
lies patience and good nature?
There are certain hours when
rush may always be counted on. AT
other hours, of course, the traffic is
only normal, and still other hours 1t Is
small. But here is the sticker Tor
the public: Do railway corporations
count upon this congested traffic when
they build railways, or do they expect
To make fair dividends for their
Stockholders out of the normal traf-
fie. and To study the needs of the pub
lie and to provide for it?
We are writing from the assump-
ton that the officials of the road do
not know of the volume of complaint
against the service; that the friend
ship of the public is to be desired
even at uncounted cost, and that 1t Is
not a paying business policy to base
economic success upon what the pub
lie is OBLIGED TO HAVE, in spite
of inconvenience and discomfort
OF course there are, always, faait
finders and kickers to whom business
men can afford to give little attention,
and perhaps some of these serve 10
harden the management of public ser
vice corporations against full reeog-
milton of legitimate public demand,
But where there is so much smoke
there must be fire enough to warrant
a prompt investigation by the man
agement of the road.
For, above all things, we believe II
is the desire and intention of the
MANAGEMENT of this railway company,
as of others, to maintain the friend
ship and sympathy of the general
public as we'll as of the natural
patrons. If we are wrong we wish
to be set right, and we are ready to
give the other side of the question as
full publicity as We do this.