Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-16
.P0sTPONES HEARING ON
J|TNEY BUS ORDINANCE
Committee Votes to Await Judge
Crlmp's Decision Before
Taking Action.
MEETS AGAIN ON THURSDAY
General Motor Corporation, Street
Car Company's Little Jitney Broth
er, Receives Twenty-Five Cars,
Which Go Into Service Sunday.

The Council Committee on Ordinances
last night voted TO postpone the hear
Ing on the jitncy bus ordinance until
S o'clock next Thursday night. Tho
postponement was ordered upon tho
motion of Councilman Jones, OF Madi-
son Ward. who though; il would be
wise before going into the matter fur
ther TO await the decision of Judge
Crump. of the Law and Equity Court,
on the street car company's prayer for
an Injunction to restrain two jitney
| bus companies from using the streets
| without Il franchise.
| Judge Crump's opinion as to the
susceptibility Of the jitncy bus to regu-
! lation as q common carrier. said Mr..
! Jones, may aid the committee IN dis
! posing of the problem. lie thought il
desirable also that the full committe co
should be present Mt the hearing, as
! we'll as the City Attorney. Judge
| Crump is expected to hand down his
/, decision on Monday.
MOTOR CORPORATION
GETS NEW MACHINES
! The General Motor Corporate
| chartered on Tuesday to conduct pop
ular passenger carrying business in
competition with the jitncy buses will
put into commission on Sunday twenty
| five passenger touring cars. The auto
mobiles were delivered to the company
yesterday.
| Officers OF the General Motor Bus
| Corporation said Yesterday that the
number of cars will be increased as
fast as the traffic justifies The COM
pany, II was stated, is prepared to put
/ 100 new cars on the streets. Those
| that Will go into commission Sunday
are fresh from the factory. and of con-
siderably better grade than the cars
ordinarily employed here In the jitney
service.
The General Motor Corporation is
backed and directed by men who have
an official connection with the Virginia
Railway and Power Company, and no
secret is made of the fact that 1t Is
little more than a subsidiary OF the
street car company. organized to COM
pete for the jitney transportation bust
ness, which, according to street car
authorities, is cutting into the receipts
OF the company to the extent OF $500
4 day.
WILL PUT ADDITIONAL
CARS INTO SERVICE
1t was made clear by officers Of the
General Motor Corporation that the new
company proposes TO deal with the sit
uation in as thorough manner as pos
sible. II there Is money In the scent
MISUNDERSTANDING business the COM
| pany Will place no limit OH the number
, of automobiles 1t will put into ser
vice.
| The short history of jitney operation
in Richmond has already brought out
significant fact, namely, that the
omnibus type OF automobile carrier.
| seating fifteen or twenty people, Is un-
| popular. Students OF the new form OF
transportation have found that while
| many persons Will ride in a regulation
| five passenger touring car doing SER
vice as jitney bus, only few will
patronize an automobile omnibus
frankly labeled u 'jitney."
OMNIBUS CAR FAILS
TO ANSWER PUBLIC WHIM
| Proof OF this prejudice was offered
by the reception accorded the electric
| bus put on the streets this week by
! the Virginia Railway and Power Com
pany. The car was loaned TO the COM
pany By the manufacturers with the
| request that 1t be tried out as an cx-
pertinent The fact that the General
, Motor Corporation, the street car COM
; pany's kinsman, has selected the i've
passenger gasoline driven car for It's
rolling stock equipment. further ac-
| centuatcs the failure OF the omnibus
/ car TO answer the public's within.
| The prejudice against the many
seated automobile omnibus is attributed
| TO the fact that there is no MISLEADING
| this form Of conveyance for something
! other than what 1t is. II is a a-cent
! bus III which the seating accommoda-
! tions are often none too ample, and its
| character is apparent at once. On the
| other hand. the passenger automo-
! bile doing duty as II titney bears
| family resemblance to private cars on
F; the street, and satisfies, to q certain
| extent. the dimly acknowledged desire
of the workaday public to bask In
| tho supposed dignity that attaches to
riding in an automobile.
Contract for Water Meters.
! The Administrative Board yesterday
| let the contract for supplying water
| valves to the Smith Courtney Co. for
valves made by the Ludlow Manufac-
turing Company Of Troy n. Y. at it's
bid which was as follows: three inch,
| $3.50 each: four-inch at $3.50; six-inch
at s1l; eight-inch at $3.50; ten-inch
at S24; twelve-inch ut $1,000; sixteen
inch at SCI. and twenty-inch at s9s