The Washington times., 1915-02-16
TRACTION COMPANY
OBJECTS TO J|TNEYS
George E. Hamilton Enters
Strenuous Protest to Public
Utilities Commission.
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Continued from First Page.)
have been giving service and making
improvements In service, and which re-
Gently have been placed under very
strict regulation--is 1t fair or Just to
such companies or to their employees,
or to the people who depend upon them
for comfortable and safe transportation
to permit an irresponsible and unregu-
lated tItney bus service to enjoy, with
out any return to the District In the
way OF franchise. assessment. OF pay
ment for the special use of the streets,
the privilege VI operating at will 80 az
to absorb the narrow margin of profit
now left to street car operation, and
even to hamper and prevent the car
companies from maintaining tho good
service now rendered by them, or to
meet the requirements now imposed by
regulation.
lie. extended their lines into the re-
motest parts Of the District; and this
increase In length Of rides brought no
companies being required by law to
give over its longest route six tickets
tor quarter. 1t needs no argument
to show that these lines could not be
the fares of the long haul.
The losses in such long hauls are
made up by the short rides in the
thickly populated parts Of the city. and
ways to the Utilities Commission II
will appear that under the conditions
now existing 1t is difficult matter
for the street railways to earn enough
to pay operating expenses and fixed
charges. to meet the requirements as
to depreciation. to maintain the service
demanded by the public. and to pay
reasonable dividend to those whose
money is invested In the securities OF
these companies.
Keep Streets In Repair.
THE street railway companies lay
and maintain their tracks and pave and
keep in repair at their own cost the
portion OF streets between their tracks
and two feet on the outside Of said
tracks: they pay the salaries Of all
crossing policemen: they pay in taxes
per cent on their gross earnings and
taxes upon their real estate and i'm
provements thereon; they are finan-
cially responsible to any passengers In
jured through the negligence Of their
employees, and give. 1t Is conceded. a
comfortabl bic. safe and convenient pas
sage to street car riders. and have
made. and are making. to the people.
fair return for their charter privi-
leges in the fuIHilment and discharge Of
charter obligations.
''Strect cars have to run according to
schedule regulated by your board. and
these schedules have to be maintained
even II the cars during portions OF the
day run empty; the jitney buses have
no hxed schedules. but may run only
IN crowded sections and at busy or
rush hours, thus avoiding empty hauls
oA hn nneratiOn incident
thereto. ,.
government TO permit these companies
to be psraIieied: interfered WITH ,L,ra ana
their service or continuing to be an ef-
ficieit aid in the development and prog
ress Of the city by a so-called jitney
bus service. unregulated and permitted
to operate without tax or assessment
for the special privilege enjoyed in the
unrestricted use Of the streets: with
out responsibility to the passengers they
carry for injury Or destruction: without
fs1nshiss fra fs, fn1 fare OF sen.s ana
But can the jitney bus service be
considered as merely hacking service
and not as common carrier?
A Common Carrier.
"Very recently the question arose be-
fore this commission as to whether taxi
cabs were or were not common carriers,
and Conrad H. Symc. general council
for the Public Utilities Commission. gave
Il as his opinion that taxicabs were
common carriers. This opinion was
adopted by the Utilities Commission.
and in It's order No. ~. January 3, 1914.
decided that the Terminal Taxicab
Company is engaged In the business of
common carrier.
proceedings were instituted by tn.
Taxicsb Company in the supreme Court
Of the District Of Columbia to set aside
and declare null and void the order Of
the commission referred to. The Su-
prere Court. after hearing. dismissed