Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-21
NO. Y1II-RAPID TRANSIT

| public interest to bargain Even captain
| of industry has been known to love his birth
place with the same degree Of intensity as a
poor clerk. Further, he has the gold to Sc
cure comforts for his home town which all
clerks can enjoy. Tainted money? Rub
bish A dollars conscience is the way in
which 1t is spent
OF course there is the dark chance that the
agreement reached by Director Taylor with
the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company to
| equip and operate the new cty-owned lines
| will be knocked out by well-hdden foes in
| the Union Traction Company. But even the
failure of the owners of the surface lines
to accept the agreement assented to by the
operator company will not kill rapid transit
For the Blankenburg Administration and It's
heirs will proceed to establish an Independent
high h-speed system, and in the offing there is
outside operator ready to step into the
breach This Is the alternative plan-there
will be time enough to go into It's details II
the citys overtures of peace are rejected
by the owners OF the existing lines.
Transportation is a fascinating story of
change in motive power. It's oldest form Is
that Of animals those most commonly en-
ployed for draught purposes being horses
and mules in this country and Great
Britain, donkeys and cameis In Egypt oxen
in Italy, elephants in India, and dogs in Bel
gium. England by statute forbade the use
of dogs as a cruelty to animals. Then came
urban traction service, the first lines Of
Philadelphia being put in operation in 1858.
Along the road to the time when transpor-
tetion for short distances found itself in the
general of electricity there were scat
tered such motive powers steam, fireless
engines, compressed air, cable and gasoline.
We had some of the cable lines in Philadel-
phia, but our big jump was direct from ami
NAL power to electricity. Horses were
abandoned IN traction service because Of
their limited speed and high cost.
Here in the possession of low-speed electric
trolley lines is where city halted until
under the whip of general revolt, 15 miles of
rapid transit built a few years ago in a
single direction-westward out Market street
Other great cities-London, Chicago, Paris
New York, Berlin and Boston-built and con-
traoted for high-speed lines overhead and
underground in all directions of travel. Only
Philadelphia provided with a solitary
stretch Of fast service-"a lonesome pine"
Yet the Market street subway has served
good purpose. 1t created a public appetite
for transit time saving. This Is naturally
distressing to the owners of 565 miles of sur
face lines over which 500, 900 900 passengers
d year pldtluly rue III SlOW-ROlng cars. BuJ
setting back the clock of progress in Coun-
ellis elsewhere will not smother rapid
transit in Phladephia-nor cause Director
Taylor to cease work on the new lines
Every citizen is concerned in the passage of
the loan bill, for one item is $5OO,OOo for Mr.
Taylor to use relocating and enlarging sew
ers in the business district a preliminary
task to the construction of the delivery loop
"a circular subway two miles around, for the
distribution of all high speed passengers in
the business district with its rim resting
under Arch, Sth, Locust and Broad streets
Philadelphia resembles Chicago in shape,
with its main business district located at its
eastern limits Both cities cover a great
stretch of level ground with opportunity for
indefinite expansion on three sides. Our city,
however, differs from Chicago in that we
have more individual communities built up
around manufacturing industries as centres
In the past these outlying communities have
been. for general transit purposes supplied
by excellent steam railroad accommodations
from main terminals in the great business
district.
But these individual communities have
now grown into one solid, compact mass of
dwellings. There are built-up districts all
the way from the City Hall to the City line.
Inc sledTl ThllIOduS bniy MT tne OlQ centres.
There are thckly populated areas off their
lines which are completely destitute Of any
high speed service. These are the regions
which Director Taylor's rapid transit lines
will pierce.
Wage-earners in a rapid transit city are
able to seek employment in districts remote
from their homes. The area of employment
is always restricted to the worlzingman's
ability TO reach the Job. The price a man
can command for his services often depends
upon the speed with which he can get to the
place. II workingman is compelled to
hunt for work only in the particular area
Immediately accessible TO his home, he soon
Joins the army of the unemployed. Indeed,
rapid transit means most TO the poor man.
His time is worth the most in any commun-
ity, for its equivalent in wages has to go the
farthest to supply human needs
The corrected time saving OF the new high
speed lines from the various districts to the
EVENING LEDGER office will be as follows:
Minutes.
Manayunk and Falls of schuylkin. 80. rs
Roxborough ........................... 25
Twenty ninth street and Allegheny avenue Is
North Philadelphia Station. 1s
Chestnut hin ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 90 |
Germantown '''.'......-...,.......... 20 !
henshsloh -''.-.''.....,............ 15 |
Oak Lane ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 90 !
Frankrord ..-,.....-..............,.... 25
League Island ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 12 |
Woodland avenue and Island road......... 10 |
Darby ''',..t''.'.'..''.'''..,.., ~ |
FOX Ihase '''..'.'''' '''''''''.........'....... 20 /
In the 6ia mile elevated extension in |
direction from the present
Market street subway at Front and Arch