Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-05-23
While Owners Do Not Make
Big Profit, They Dam
age Street Railway.
COURTS UNDECIDED



local jitney street railway situation,
the passenger transportation problem
Of Tulsa Is the jitncy TO win over
the street railway or will the outcome
be vice versa There is yet another
alternative and this is the one which
interests every man, woman and
child in the city win the ugnt ter
inmate in Tulsa being stripped Of any
NcstIge Of a transportation medium?
Today the Tulsa street Railway
company drops twelve men from it's
service
we do not hesitate to say that
the jitney has forced us to cut the
service in some parts Of the city"
said NJ. McGrath. superintendent Of
the Tulsa Street Railway company
yesterday. Our business has been
cut approximately $75 day. We
cannot afford to give the best Of ser
vice in competition with this sort Of
Industry. Unless we have patronage
We cannot keep up the standard set
by us in the past"
No Conductors.
on all lines except North and South
Main the cars will carry only one uni
formed man, commencing today. Pas
Scngers will enter the front door in
stead of the rear. They Will indi-
cate their desire to get off bv pulling
an individual rope which viii ring a
ten in the front. on the Main street
cars the business has held up to
standard and there viii be no change
in the service here, according to Mr.
MCGrath.
But the question which confronts
Tulsa citizens Is the permaneuce Of
their passenger system VIII the jit-
ney force the more legitimate street
railway from the field ana at last
prove itself inefficient? This is u
great economic question.
Does the Jitncy Pay?
Can the jitney, under long service
show itself 20 be a paying venture TO
the community From the informa-
ton at hand the answer seems to be
IN doubt From day to day 1t may
take up enough fivc-Cent fares to
meet current expenses and leave a
margin, but will the venture prove a
permanent success!
Local jitncy owners say that as long
as man owns and operates his own
car he can make a fair salary out
Of the enterprise. He uses on an
average Of $l.25 worth Of gasoline 4
day. Then he has tire troubles to
contend with PunCtures and wear
and tear on the car can be figured
at about $l.J0 a day. Therefore q
jitncy must take in S2.75 A day to
pay expenses Figuring 50 day
salary for the operator the returns
should be $I75 day to insure a
/ profitable business. That means 1855
| passengers must be carried. Figuring
/ n thn lDuig { fam 70,
! lead, which is a good days average,
| this would mean 40 trips a day. The
average jitnCy runs sixteen hours a
| uay and should he able to make at
/ least four trips an hour The man
| who owns and runs his own litney is
pretty welt satisfied, rs long as his
/ car does not represent an investment
Of more than $4OO or $500, The man
/ who tries 10 get into the business on
! a big scale is up against another prop
osition and he cannot determine the
worth Of his business until he has
| operated cars FOR several months.
Can They BE Regulated?
There is some doubt as to whether
or not the iitney can lie regulated by
J law. If they can be, then the days Of
/ the iltncy are numbered for there is
! hardly a community in the United
states that will not place a prohihi-
| tive tax on these cars if they are en-
abled under the law to do so. Test
cases are now up in many courts and
the question will eventually reach the
supreme court Of the United States.
At Los Angeles, in New FORK and
elsewhere the small jltneys have been
replaced by the iitney bus, which car
RES from IL to 35 passengers There
are many transportation experts who
agree that those big cura will replace
the small iitney eventually and be-
come permanel 1T institution
If the jitney pays, and it is un-
molcsted by new laws, it will he hard
t. remove 1t or put 1t ort OF business
Those are matters that the future
! must determine.
The jitney is hurting the street rail
ways in Tulsa, just as it is in other
I cities. The service is already beinG
curtaled, and it will be no great sur
abandoned before long Then the
matter will indeed become serious.
May Regret Using Jitncys.
Supposng there was no street car
service 90 Cherokee Heights, to Ken
dali to Irving Place. to owen addi-
! ton today? Would it not greatly re-
uuCe lne value Ol Tedl estate Ill lHOSc
| localities? No one can deny this.
Without the street car lines city prop
crty any distance fSom the center of
town would not be worth half what it
is today. If the street cars should be
| Tut out of commission by the jitney
| thousands of persons would lose all or
large part of their investments.
Street railway lines are as important
to the growing city as railroad lines
are to the growing state. They go
| hand in hand with civilization and
progress The people who patronize
me jtney, aad yet own property on
car line, are cutting off their own
heads Sooner or later they will re-
aize this,
Can't Blame Jitncy Owner
! The jitney owner cannot be blamed
/ for making all the money he can ou.
Of his business. He has as much right
/ to transport passengers as anyone
else, he should be placed on an equal
I T.. ,.vtt h. rt