Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-26
UNRECULATED J|TNEY HAS
ONE MORE DAY OF LIFE
ordinance Regulating Five-Cent Auto
Carrier Becomes Effective
Tomorrow.
TO DISCUSS PLANS TONIGHT
J1tney Owners Will Hold Final Meet
ing to Determine Details OF CAM
paign Directed Against Enforce
ment Of Council Regulations.

phSh directed Against Enforce
ment of Council Regulations.
UnreEulated jitncy bus operation
ends to-day. The ordinance which un-
oertakes to impose certain restric-
tions on the business. passed recently
ny the Council, becomes effective to-
morrow. and, under the law. any per-
son failing to comply with every one
OF KS provisions before Attempting 70
oper"to oitney bus In the city, will be
SUBJECT TO arrest and may, upon con-
riction, be fined in the Police Court
not less than SIS nor more than 800
UP to the close of business Saturday.
not single jitney owner had applied
10 commissioner Trcsnon for the Ii
cense which the ordinance requires
operators to take out Mr.. Trcsnon
mas had the requisite application
blanks printed. but the demand for
them is still to materialze
AXE OPPOSED TO BONDING
AND LICENSING PROVISIONS
1itneS operators offer no serious oh
lection to the new law in Tho main
but are opposed to tho license tax and
pond requirements. The measure rn
qulres each jtncy bus owner to nro-
vide himself with a license IN oncr-
ave along certain designated routes.
lhe cost OF the license being graded
.ccorolnS to the estimated value of
VIC route rs n revenue producer and
the seating capacity of the car
The ordinance, as n condition Of oh
canning the license. requires each own
CT TO execute with n reliable surety
company an indemnity bond Of $1,000
ol inc nrst car and bond OF $500
This requirement, in particular &c bo
ing objected to by jitney owners wbo
c'a'n mat the terms upon which thev
can secure such n bond would vine on,
the profits OF the business.
II tne Jitney owners follow the plan
Wednesday night, they will nil Tom.
porarilN suspend operations to-ror-
row. allowing one of their nurho- 10
run as usual. 1t is assumed that thio
ear VIII he taken into custody by tho
poilce' ana that it's owner will be ar
,a, 'S mcu IN inc Police Court for vio-
,atihG the new ordinance. When mis-
happens 1t is the plan of the ii.na,.
men 10 petition one of the courts for
an injunction to restrain the city from
enforcing the ordinance.
ORDINANCE RESEMBLES
LAWS IN OTHER CITIES
me ordinance, which was drawn bv
inc city Attorney. resembles in man ~,
rs features ordinances now In force in
ieNas and Pacific Coast cities wbern
municipalities were months aoo ani,
TO srapple with the jitncy problem In
| some or the cities the ordinances have
oeeh attacked in the courts, where Anal
judgment on them is awaited.
Local 1itney men have retained Rich.
~. ~ ENeiyn Byrd, former Speaker of
the Rouse of Delegates, as counsel IN
represent them in their fight aroipst
the ordinance. a meeting will be held
ny them tonight to discuss in detail
the plans OF their campaign.
hachmond jitneys are now operating
, state and city licenses which still
nave several months to run II ho.
been suggested that the owners Of
these licenses have the right To CON
tinue their present business until tbeir
licenses expire, without reference RI
the new ordinance.
PROVIDES FOR REBATE
FOR OLD LICENSES
That the ordinance does not recognize
such right is apparent from the fol-
| lowing excerpt from Section ]:
Applicants for IA license under this
! ordnance shall be entitled to n credit
OF the sum which shall previously have
! been paid into the city treasury by such
applicant for the right to operate an
| automobile during the present license
year: and provided, further. that the
license paid under this ordinance shall
be In lieu OF any other license charge
now levied under any ordinance Of the
city OF Richmond in force at the pas
sage of this ordinance"
CLAIM THAT BOND IS
UNJUST DISCRIMINATION
Objection is raised by jitney men to
the bonding requirement on the ground
that 1T discriminates unjustly between
jitneys and other carriers that trans
| port passengers 70. hire, such as street
cars, taXicabs, hacks. and for hire"
automobiles. IT is understood that the
measure will be attacked chiefly on
the ground of this alleged unjust dis
elimination.
In answer to this contention 1t Is
! pointed out while street cars are COM
mon carriers in the same sense that jit-
neYs are, the enormous property inter-
ests behind them make them thorough
ly responsible for damages, since there
are millions in tangible assets which
could be levied upon for the satisfac-
ton OF any Judgment. This is not held
to be true generally in the case OF jit-
neys, and n bond for the protection OF
persons and property is therefore re-
| quired in most Of the regulatory ordi-
| nances that have been passed in this
country. At the same time it is held
| that hacks, taNicabs and carriers of this
nature are not common carriers in the
same sense as jitncys are. and do not
| create the same hazard.