Evening star., 1915-01-24

7, is within the possibilities that there
NAV be an opportunity for the WASH
ington Utilities Company to exercise
| the functions for which 1t was organ
,zed. namely, the bringing together uh-
der one management of the leiolhe
.treet car companies of the Dlstfict
with a unifcation of all utilities as d
possibility.
Cp to the present time all tHoi .
made in this direction by the company
have been rendered null and VOID 'he
so-called la Toilette amendmeht pro-
hlbiting any one utility corpora'io'
holding more than 20 per cent Oh 'he
capital stock of another being the oo-
structing vehicle. II has made the
Washington Utilities Company Simply
holding corporation and prevented II
from being an operating company.
when the formation of the Washing
ton J'tilitieN Company was announced
IT was stated it's purpose was 10
finance utilities companies. ana esPe-
ciallv the Washington Railway ana
Electric Company.
large amount Of the "apita' Sto,N
of th. last named corporation was ~
quired and passed into tht - rster
the utilities company, whi'h WE ~
sold in sufficient quantity 10 "'ns ~
holdings within the 20 per cent i''''''
provided by the La Foilett" LtN- ..
There are today two blltS pei'i
CONGRESS on. providing for municipal
ownership of the street raliro'ios 3 .;.''
the other introduced by kep 90
Page permitting the sale OF Que
pany to the other. on the i H'i' .o,,,
ma ajority of stockholderS VI "''
panieS. ;, ra,-.
commissioners of the lnstrict ny ~
oppressed Il decided preiereh.", loi
municipal ownership OF tue -,
hut If tins cannot h" hr"uSh' 'p""t
we said to favor unitication OF the
systems. ,;,...
sal transfers, over Whlch al - -
nro .,rI con. has been going on Tor
l.,r ana might also provide for Il
through routing system het"een tn W.
two roads that might result laNoi"'
to the city's traffic . .,.a,,.
II tn. Page bill should pass event
raiI, tb,ra is no sure thing that a
~ iori+y nf shareholders would taNor
surh a merger but the venice tor d
rniacatiou of the systems is AT mana
in the Washington ttilties company
with many millions OF capital.
The .Jitney Bus"
While on the subject of street railways
:, - narhaDs apropos to call attention 10
the ueculiar development of the jitheS
loss of passenger traffic. and consequently
:, ~. rs.sin-s of the various traction
companies
d.. r,t1. has been heard of this de-
valonment in the east. although during the
las, week eastern papers nave peeii ie
ferring to it more freely. IL Is I!o'tii.,s
more than competition of auto'nooies d.
common carriers with the street r'iiiro'io
comma anteS, and without expense ioi II an
cbiS. or other on earnings
The term ''jitney" is SAD 10 repr
the Mexican equivalent OF > cents. scores
hundreds and even thousands OF aueo .
mobiles at different cities on the coast
are taking short hauls from the street
railway companies. loading hve 10 teii
pa sse7gers on cars, and even more on tiie
big touring automobiles.
The. new industry started IN Los
Angeles. and has cut at the rate OF
A million dollars year into the revenues
of the street railway company OF 'he
town.
z,,romobile manufacturing company es-
Inmates that unless interfered with bS
regulatory ordinances. the ''jitney men
will take 100000 i'll fares out OF that
city in 1915.
San Francisco has been invaded and an
,yerage of $500 d day taken from the
returns of the street car company the
''jitneys" do not compete with the fnunicl-
pa road in Frisco, for reasons OF their
own-they do not want TO invite penal
ties.
The Monterey and Pacific Grove Street
Railroad Company of San Francisco has
surrendered the road TO its bondholders
and the right of way is absorbed by
the "jitneys.
General Manager Black of the United
Railways of San Francisco says that he
recently put an accountant at busy
corner and was later informed that eighty
"fltneys" with 420 passengers. were
counted going one way in ninety minutes.
These buses run in front of the street
cars and pick up waiting passengers.
Pasadena is the only city that has un-
dertaken their regulation. imposing $40
annual license for four-passenger car
and an accident indemnity bond for each
car of 10000.