The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-04-21

claim made by attorneys for the Con necticut company at the hearing be- fore the Judiciary Committee pf the legislature yesterday on the proposal to regulate the automobile buses which have sprung up in constdera- ble numbers in all the larger cities of the state during the last several weeks ''Eventually,'' says the troll ley company in a statement filed with the committee, the pubic can have. jitney, service only in subst1tu- ton for trolley service, which it will dispIace. "A The continuation of pres ent conditions will soon result in such substitution, and if the public have to rely on jitney service, in whole or in part, they are entitled to have the regularity and continuance of such service assured"
 Hearing is Big One.
 The hearing was a big one, the big gathering being made up prin- -cipaliy of friends of the jitneys. The by several of the speakers, who laughed at the claim that they want ed the buses regulated to protect the public, and charged that the pre- vious attitude of the company had made the public welcome comped- ton fo the character furnished by the E >jitneys.
 
 just as long as the trolley company continues its present system of crowd in gand improperly venttlaHng it's cars said Charles M. Robinson, who represented the New Haven jftney proprietors and owners. He went OF to say that, in his opinion, as soon as the trolley company began to provide adequate services the jitneys would have to go out of business. Is In order to prevent the competi- tion which would force them to inn prove their service, Mr. Robinson continued, the trolley company is seeking to stamp out the new busi- ness before 1t is fairly started by se- were and unfair regulations and Te- strictiong.
 Bond VlgoronsIy Opposed. The proposal to demand bond of f 1000 he most vigorously, opposed. He said he had talked with bond men and they had informed him that the only way to get a bond of that kind 1 and size was to actually uut up ga, 900 | in cash. This would drive a maoJr portion of the jitney operators out of business.
 In addition to the Connecticut company several of the other small trolley roads in the state were rep resented. Alderman David M. Reil- | Iy of New Haven, appeared in favor | of regulating the jitneys in the capac- | ity of a citizen. He said he thought 1 the. jftneys should be made to pro- ivide a suitable bond or take out in- surance in order to protect passen- l gers who might be hurt in accidents Another New, Havener who spoke, but on the other .side,- was George M Wallace, who held that the cornpetl- l ton furnished by the jitneys would force the trolley company to improve it's service and possibly reduce its fare rates from five to three cents an object which he considered very kdesirable.
 I Speakers for BaI1.
 j The speakers in favor of the bill were Harry e. Day of New Haven and l Edward M. Day of Hartford, repre- I senting the Connecticut company; 1 Michael Kenealy. representing the Shore Line NElectric company; John Cassidy of Naugatuck. representing l the Waterbury and Mi1lda1e Tram way company; Kendall Pierce o1 Bristol, representing the Bristol and Plainville !Tramway company; Alder. man. David M. Reilly of New. Haven and Representative Hough of Wash ington- Those who spoke for the 1 jitneys included Leo Davis~of Nor walk representing the NorwaII Chamber of Commerce; Charles M | 1 New Haven; Lawrence Lewis of Wat. erbuEy, and John Tol1es of Water. bury
 MT. Davis of Norwalk,, made a par. sticu1arly bitter attack on the trolley company, in which he charged thas they had been arrogant for many years with the people of the statx and had only made improvements os their service when driven to 1t. Ant yet, he said, they come whining to the legislature at the first sign of com. petition.
 It was first planned to hold the hearing in the old supreme cour broom but the crowd was so large tha; II it was found necessary to move dowr to the hall of the house of represen tatives- It was pre-eminently Jit ney crowd, for every attack on the trolley company caused prolonged ap plause.
 Senator Isben, chairman of the committee, requested at the start 6: the hearing that each speaker statt what, in his opinion, the committee ought to recommend for. legislation and said the speakers need not conf1nt themselves to the proposed bill Those speakers who replied for th' jitney people said they did not be 1ieYe in any bill. G. M. Robinson, il his reply, after asking that no bill b, drawn, said that if the committee feI obliged to report, he thought the onl, requirement. should be a. public con yeyance license at nominal sum tc be applied in towns where there arr no local ordinances.
 To Bring Better Service
 Several speakers declared thef opinion that competition by automo mobiles in a measure had beer brought on by discontent of citizen l faiI f0 cra ances adjusted, and that should tn busses. be in use only temp orarily tn competition was bound to compel tn ' Connecticut company to give bette service and be more tolerant toward sl the public Several speakers though | the automobile service would regulat itself within a short tune.