The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-27
Action Temporarily Held Up-Proposed Ordinance Becomes Public Despite
 Wards Efforts
ALREADY PAYING A
 TAXICAB LICENSE :
 AND AUTO LICENSE
Weatherly Declines To Be Party To Any Plan Which, He Says, Would Kill Competition-Other Git
 izens Express Opinions

Disagreement among the members of the city commission over the provisions of the proposed ordinance to regulate the jitney auto lines of the city has tenn porarily at least held up the new law. and in all probability has killed it.
 The proposed ordinance, in spite of ef- forts of Commissioner George Ward to keep it secret it was learned yesterday provided for a 5000 indemnity bond to be placed on each company operating cars and a license to be charged for each car in operation of probably s15 or s2O. It was not brought before the commission at the meeting yesterday afternoon because Commissioner Weatherly was stoutly op- posed to it.
 It also developed yesterday that the operation of the jitney autos has caused very noticeable curtailment in the reve- nues of the street car company. Officials of the Birmingham Railway. Light and Power company have been in conference with members of the commission during the past several days and although no in formation will be given out it is generally understood that strong protests have been made by them against the jitney autos. A very authentic report yesterday was to the effect that counsel for the Birming- ham Railway, Light and Power company has prepared an ordinance for the rcgu- lation of the jitney autos, but which was not accepted by the commission because 1t was in some ways too drastic.
 Already Paving License
 The jitney autos, however, are now operating under license and have been doing so ever since they started. This was learned yesterday from Bradley Brown, state collector of automobile li- censes, who states that every one of the jitney autos now operating on the streets of Birmingham has paid to him the regu- lar taxicab license of $25 for each car in operation besides their regular automobile tag license. It was on this ground that Commissioner Weatherly opposed the pro- posed ordinance for regulation of the jitneys.
 The proposal to place the operators of those cars under 5000 bond and charge them an additional license would simply put them out of business, and 1 dont { propose to be a party to any plan that will kill competition" he said. I'm mighty glad to see the jitney autos in service. It's only matter of time until they will replace trolley cars in every city in the land They are natural de- velopment an improvement over the troll ley car if they have paved streets to travel on and they should be encouraged rather than regulated right at this time when they are getting a foothold.
 Besides why should the driver of a jitney auto be placed under bond when the drivers of joy riders cars are not under bond the drivers of these internal machines (motorcycles) are not under tond, the drivers of taxicabs are not under bond, and the drivers of private automobiles are not under bond? The only excuse I can see is because they charge a nickel for a ride, because they are for the people and not for the favored classes, and I'm on the side of the dear people every time. We have laws to regulate the jitney auto just as well as any other vehicle. If they drive too fast they shall be fined. If they drive care lessly they shall be fined. They are all ready paying $25 license to the state, of which the city gets 40 per cent They are giving the highest class of transportation tc thousands of citizens every day. There hasn't been a single patron of them in
 
 should this city step in and try to regu- late something that needs no regulation? I say let's boost the thing along.
 Judge Lane stated he believed the jit- neys should pay small license, but that the city had laws which would regulate them in regard to their speed, safety and so forth. George Ward refused to let the reporter see the proposed ordinance which has been drafted and refused to state his postiOn on the question.
 As before published in The Age-Herald, there are now perhaps 50 of the jitney autos in operation, carrying hundreds of passengers every day to and from the residential districts at fare of cents.
 A number of citizens were asked last night for expressions of opinion on the recently inaugurated jitney automo- biles, and what they thought of the city's proposal to require operators of the automobiles to give 5000 bond and pay special city license. Here are some of the views expressed: