The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-03-19
CAR SERVICE
HEREAHEAD OF
CLEVELAND'S
A. ID. ~. VAN zANDT.
ID. l.. X. Official Gives Statistics
On Operation to Bolster
Up His Claim
SAYS MATTER is UP TO
WITT IN OHIO CITY
Service Made to Fit Fare, With
Plenty of Kicking as Result,
is the Claim Made
A. ID. II. VAN zANDT.

A. ID. B. VanZandt. publicity agent
OF the d. U. r.. declares that Peter
Witt the Cleveland railway expert
who came to Detroit at the invitation
of Mayor Marx and addressed the
aldermen on street car matters, men
toned only the bright side OF the stu
alton In Cleveland and neglected 10
mention the service. which compares
unfavorably with that given BY the
10. U. r. In Detroit, according TO or
acials of the latter concern.
81 notice that Detroit Is getting
some OF It's annual advice on street
railway matters from Cleveland-this
time from Peter Witt, the city's rail-
wav commissioner" said VanZandt.
"You know the service In Cleveland
ia right up to Mr.. Witt: he orders 1t
and the company carries out the OF
ders. The company cannot add
single car TO any schedule for inc &C.
commodation Of any section OK the
city without the consent OF Mr.. VIII
For instance, q certain car line VIII
ask the company 10 increase the
sch edule to give the riders better &C.
commodations, but after the new
schedule Is made 1t must go to MI
Witt for his o. X, and Mr.. witt has
become quite an adept In using the
blue pencil for every car mile that IL
not run, cuts down the operating ex-
penses and helps TO keep the low fare
In effect.
while MIR. Witt was enlightening
Detroit the other day on the old and
familiar story Of the street car
troubles of Cleveland. 1T Is really too
bad that he did not throw little
light upon the service being rendered
the people of Cleveland
Cleveland with only 20 per cent.
more population than Detroit has
nearly 100 more miles Of street car
track. That looks good for Cleveland
doesn't it? But street car tracks un-
used do not help to get people to and
from their work. AS a matter OF fact
in 1912, for each mile Of track In
Cleveland, there were 106.119 miles
of street car service, while Detroit
last year gave 154,994 miles Of street
car service TO every mile OF track
This means that to each mile OF track
Detroit gave 46 per cent more miles
OF street car service. That doesn't
look bad for Detroit does It?
Let me give you another com
parison. Last year. Cleveland used
951 passenger cars, including 10(
trailers, that were not put In opera
ton until September. This gives you
car for every 500 OF population
while in the same period Detroit used
,222 cars. or one for every 3S1 popu-
lation.
Let me give you another compari-
son. Last year, Cleveland carried
nine and one-tenths passengers per
car mile. while Detroit carried only
seven and nine-tenths passengers per
car mile
You, therefore, see that with 81
per cent. less track mileage than
Cleveland, Detroit ran 46 per cent.
more car miles and carried 26 per
cent fewer passengers.
| THE faster the cars run and tho
fewer the stops made the less the op-
Grating expenses and the fewer the
cars the company has to buy. thereby
saving interest charges which. OF
course, must be met out Of the rate
OF fare. Therefore, Mr.. Witt has
placed In effect rule, whereby cars
stop for passengers at every other
street. In Detroit the cars stop at
practically every street and at many
other places. Under this arrangement
the Cleveland cars make an average
schedule Of IL IL miles per hour.
while in Detroit the cars make an
average schedule of 8 IL miles per
hour.
The plan in Cleveland Is to make
the service flt the fare. with the re-
suit that there is plenty OF kicking
against the service as can be readily
determined by reading the Cleveland
papers. II Is another case OF distant
PASTURES looking green"