The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-07

<<1HE tremendous political in
 fiuences exerted by the cleo
 \ tric street railway interests may succeed for a short period In re- tarding the sudden and great devel- opment of the "jitney bus' but it will never be able to suppress that new and popular means of transportation" de clared John N. Willys, president of the Willys-Overland company, in the course of an interview on the "jitney'' situa- tion at his winter home in Pasadena. Cal Since arriving in California MT.
 Willys has made a study of the "jit-. ney bus" in the cities where its re-
 markable rise to popularity started.
 "The public in this country is just awakening to the possibilities and ad- yantages of motor transportation" con- tinued Mr. Willys, as he scanned a re- port from the Overland factory at To- ledo advising him of record breaking production.
 Tn London the electric lines, known over there as trans, are owned and operated by the London county coun- cil This body is extremely jealous of it's abilities and has branchcd out
 into numerous paternalistic schemes.
 As soon as the motor bus became a fac tor in transportation, nine or ten years
 ago, the council began exerting every
 effort within it's great power to sup
 press motor buses in the interest of
 the huge investments in which that
 body had involved the taxpayers in the
 construction of electric street railways.
 "The public, however, rallied to the
 defense of the newer and more pop ular means of transportation and to-
 day, notwithstanding the fact that the
 councils pet street railways are facing
 certain bankruptcy as a result of mo-
 tor competition, the people stand by the motor busses and refuse to sec them unjustly dealt with.
 Why" continued the head of the
 automobile concern which stands sec ond only in the worlds production of
 motor cars, lin England the iItney
 business is no longer confined to the cities. There have been dozens of bus services established between smaller towns. Out of London lines run in all directions carrying passengers into the country to points which have never | before been available to the rank and 1 file"
 Here MT. Willis discussed the con ditions which he believes are bound 10 l bring about complete revolution in | traffic in American cities
 The important point which prom ises cheap and satisfactory transpor- | tation to the American public is the wonderful strides which have been made in this country in the construc- ton of good. servceable automobiles at only about half the price at which they can be produced abroad" said he. This means more to the jitney busi- ness than might at first be suppressed, when one thinks only of first cost or the original investment carried ase a l fixed charge.
 Such concerns as the Overland. which places before the public a high 1 grade car at minimum price, also fur nishes the user replacements at d cor respondingly low cost. But this is still not all. To replace a worn or broken l part upon car made by the methods Which are employed in a factory such as ours is a comparatively inexpensive operation. because such parts must necessarily be interchangeable in or l der to permit these cars to be 1nanu- | factured at such low prices"
 1 Mr. Willys is of the opinion that man.