Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1915-09-28
wv v nj -E flilll,flis'' liil;;E SENS, SENS,
 NOW A.sCfRIAlNIY Street Car Company Com plains of Decreased Reve- '' ]. llue in Recent Weeks. COUNCIL AGAINST
 REDUCTION FORGE Street Gar COmpany's Proposition to Operate Cars Without Conductors
 Receives Little Consideration
 ~ at Conference.

the operation of jitney busses will most likely he introduced at the next session of the city council, with in dicatiOns of a clear course towards final adoption, as result of talk made to the members of the, council at the copference yesterday after noon by President Frank P. Bridges of the Pine Bluff. company.
 A proposition to operate the street cars without conductors. thus de- lcreasing by one-half the operating force of the company, was given lit tie consideration, because all the cars are of the closed platform style, and the motorman would be kept busy running back and forth letting passengers on and off. unless they were compelled to enter and leave from the front platform.
 MT. Bridges informed the aldermen that business with the street car lines has fallen off greatly. especial ly the past few weeks, and the com pany must retrench somewhere. In dlUOSL every OIlCN Clly ctuu lOWA AAC said, the jitney busses were regulat- ed,. but in Pine Bluff they operated on a free and easy plan, to suit themselves. He admitted virtually all the passengers of the jitneys are negroes, but these were formerly patrons of the street car lines, and their diversion to the jltneys made serious inroads on the company's re- ceipts.
 Tie Court Costs Natter.
 The council discussed briefly the matter of repaying to the Pine Bluff company the $1,069 paid by the com pany as court costs in the recent wa ter rates case, in the federal court, and which was lost by the"eity. 'Ald7 erman Well continued in his opposi- tion to the payment of this amount, on the ground that there were ex- orbitant items in the bill of costs, but the indications arc the majority of the aldermen will vote to pay the bill, when the council meets Monday night.
 Tn an indirect manner, the non payment of this amount is threaten ing to hold back the paving of Cher " street, because the Pine Bluff company does not appear disposed to eMpend a large amount in double- tracking it's line in that street and to make other improvements, as long as the ctiy does not make the repay ment of the court costs. .s
 It was explained to the aldermen yesterday that the costs are only fair-that the attorneys for the city and the company had agreed on the s1,OOO fee for the master, and the stenographer's fee of $500 was only the usual amount, for such quantity of work. The court rendered .judg- ment for the company, assessing the costs against the city. The company paid the costs because it had up a cost bond, and the city now justly owes the company that amount. Ev- en if the city were to fight the mat ter, by allowing thd company to enter suit for the amount, it would only add more costs to the city's bill, according to attorneys who have dis cussed the matter With city authori-: ties. < & < There was little discussion of the annexation proposition, but noth- ing developed, except nearly every alderman present expressed him. self as favoring the matter. if it can be eQuitably arranged.