Omaha daily bee., 1915-02-01
Street Railways Ans wer

d ERMiT 70 reply briefly to the editorial entitled:
Food For Thought For the Street Railway"
You say that the street railway MANAGEMENT
find food for thought ~ they will listen to the
talk INDUCED in by their cars We
well aware that there IL always talk INDUCED In
by OF the passengers our cars criucsng the
street railway management We feel that probably
Of the criticism s merted but that great deal
OF Il springs from pure III nature.
You say some very nice things OF the street rail
service in Omaha, but wind up by saying. but
stil there IL lurking dissatisfaction which stimulates
the hope Of relief through another transportation
system" You must be aware that there s Turk
ing dissatsfaction in human nature today. which
tends TO everything under the We kick about
the weather. The government the courts. the news
papers. the railroads and the street railways. II
this lurking dissatisfaction Is TO be used as proof
Of anything IT will have TO be admitted that the entire
universe Is all wrong
You complain Of the amount Of street railway sery-
ice and suggest Improvement must from put
ting additional the hours TO
form with the changing demands" The fact is that
street railway service IL measured accurately, and
comparative figures for different cities always Re
had. Let's see how Omaha compares with some Of
the cities which credited wSth having good street
railway service The number OF passengers carried
per car mile In few OF the cities folsows: Columbus
o.. 74s; Cleveland. 72s; Milwaukee, 67s washington
d. c.. $50; Toledo. 61S Seattle 500; Detroit. 500;
Omaha $40. From which II will be seen that Omaha
has street service in proportion to the
Der Of people carried the than Of the cities
mentioned
II true that the cars in Omaha are crowded dur
ing the rush period, and It IL equally true that the
cars In every city Of the United States crowded
during the rush hours
Anyone who can point out a plan which win solve
the rush-hour problem. will be a real benefactor.
street railway operators have been wrestling with
this problem since have been operated
and one has yet been able to solve it. For
about two hours out of the twenty-tour. four times
many could be used to advantage are
necessary during the remaining hours Where can
competent In sufficient number be found who Will
be content with two three hours wages per day?
You further in your editorial rs Il necessary
TO compel people to stand at street corners in below
weather and watch from to four overloaded
cars De them UP without even stopping? In weather
such have been having during the last month.
Il Is extremely difficult keep the moving at all
and II you will refer the columns Of the newspapers
from other cities you will find that in many places
street service has at times been entirely abandoned
Our organization by Of earnest and persistent
efforts. has kept the moving. and II seems to
that Il 10 utterly unfair TO find fault with the fact
that they have not moved absolutely time and with
! the proper headwRy between Much OF the In
terrupton service has been due TO the fact that
wa8ons and other vehicles the street car tracks
because other portions OF the streets impossible
and occasionally these vehicles break down and gap
In service results Whenever this happens The cara
become punched. and IL follows that the first few
Will be overloaded. because people have accuHu-
lated the street corners and insist getting On
| the first that along.
You also ask: ''why should not the street railway
timetable ke made TO fit I'm better with the timetables
| OF the railroads 10 carry incoming travellers
stations to their homes the hotels when
they arrive? throughout the non-rush hours OF the
day a car passes the stations bound for uptown
every two minutes, and during the rush hours cal
passes every minute Would not this be considered
very close with inconing trains7 Incoming
trains too especially In bad weather are Frequently
late as much several hours.
You close your editorial by saying. We say this
however n the street railway people have the
eyes OPEN they viii least make try to give create
satisfaction without waiting for complaints to accunu
late into an upheavel" viii reply to this by saynI
that the operating department of the Omaha q coun
ell Bluffs Street Railway company is wcrking earnestl!
and faithfully all times TO give satisfaction and Z
improve the service In every way possible and al
fair minded citizens OF Omaha who have occasion &
visit other cities appreciate the fact that. Omaha
street car service Is surpassed anywhere in thi
| country. We realize that the street service Il
Omaha as we'll In any other city. is far from per
feet and laborlng constantly TO make It better
and an occasional praise from the Newspaper
would encouraging than constant fault-findln
and criticism r. A. LEuSLLER.
Assistant General Manager Omaha Council Bluff
Street Railway Company