Evening journal., 1915-07-01
Future of the Jifney
lFrom the Harrlsburg Telegraph.l

All the country is talking of the
iitney, its present relation to the
transportation situation and its flu
ture. Anything bearing on the matter
Is eagerly read. One OF the most in
teresting digests OF the problem is
presented In a report Of a committee
10 the Oakland Chamber of Commerce
after an investigation that included
all of the leading cities.
The committee calls attention to the
fact that in looking over the history
of urban transportation il finds the
horse car giving way to the cable car.
and the cable car Except under very
special condtions) 10 the electric troll
ley car. There was an economic JUS
tification for each change which made
II necessary and unavoidable. The
wiping out of investments In the
horse car, cable car, and earlier cleo
trio car lines and equipment, and re-
placement with the efficient and ex-
pensive modern equipment. had its
justification In the accompanying So
cial. physical and financial develop
ment and improvement OF the people
re-
Elected in an increase IN property
values which greatly overshadowed
the immediate investment in the
transportation system destroyed
VIII the iitney do this. the commit
tee asks and then tries 10 answer the
question from its findings.
II is quite conclusive that If the
motor bus comes TO stay, It will not
be in the shape Of the present jitney,
and II the motor bus fs 10 be the
transportation unit OF the future. il
will supercede the electric car because
II Is economically right, ana IN doing
so, IT would justify the replacement
Of the present investments by enhance
ing the property values OF the com
munity, says the committee.
This is the keynote from the stand
point OF the report VIII the iitney
relieve congestion in apartment or
tenement sections in the way that
every city in America Is striving to
solve that problem, or VIII II only ag-
gravate and increase the present diff
culties? If II does nor. what will be-
come of the values beyond the 2 f-2-
mile limit which the committee finds
TO be the ultimate range of service Of
the iitneys? II the jitney weakens the
present transportation systems which
draw the support for improbable
lines serving the outlying districts
from the section where traffic is dens-
est, what does il mean TO the property
owner and the home owner in the
suburbs of Oakland, and the Ameri-
can city
The committee believes that the tit
ney bus, in a large measure, is due
TO poor business, hard times and the
impossihility OF men obtaining work
OF any kind. MANY OF these men al
ready owned small autos or had saw
ed enough money 10 buy an automo-
bile, and in this way they went into
the iitnev bus business. For the pres
ent they are doing something for
themselves and their families. Their
time Is occupied and the nickels they
take in enable them to eat at the ex-
pense Of their autobus. In other
words, the jitney driver Is liviue upon
the capital, or the capital Of some
one else. because the income Is not
SUFFICIENT to provide Cor his living and
the necessary operating expenses,
plus fixed charges and depreciation. &"
Extended Investigations Of the com
mittee showed them that the average