Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-02-16
J|TNEY PROBLEM
IS SERIOUS IN
SEVERAL CITIES
Utility Commissions, LegiSIa-
tors and Municipalities Con-
SIderIng ACCESSIBILITY of Reg
uIationS,

Competition OF the "litney" buses
with the street railways. which start
ed on the Pacific coast, is now spread
ing eastward, a number of cities this
SIDE of the Rocky mountains having
been invaded This menace is "a real
one to the street railway companies
and lis effect Is now being seen In the
action of securities of the companies
most seriously affected.
A recent compilation of the number
or lltneys operating IN several Pacific
coast cities and their earnings. accord
ing to the Wall Street Journal, shows
that In san Francisco over 900 ears
are being operated with average daily
receipts exceeding $4,000. In Oak
land ana other trans-hay cities 500
cars are operated with receipts Of al
most $4,000 day In Los Angeles
!, 100 ears are at work and their daily
receipts are estimated at $500 In
Portland about s 900 a day is beius
earned by the iitneys and IN Seattle
1t is said, over $4,000 a day is being
taken from the street railway com
panN
10 stop building in seattle.
1t Is estimated that in these five
localities alone the transit companies
by the new competition are losing AT
the rate of close 10 $1,000, 600 year
In addition the iitneys are operating
in san Diego, Pasadena and q number
of other California towns. They have
become numerous in Kansas city and
because Of the bitter franchise fight
waged there are receiving columns of
free advertising from the two leading
newspapers.
Spokane has been badly hit and al
Seattle the mayor has advocated the
abandonment of all further efforts to
build municipal street railway lines
because Of the iitney competition.
Denver, which has commission gov
ernment, has adopted a practically
prohihitiye ordinance to keep out the
itneys
Houston and Galveston, Tex. have
been invaded and the recent decrease
in earnings of the Galveston Houston
Electric company may he laid to the
door of the jitney. They also have
become established in Birmingham
and a number of cars are competing
with the lines of the Birmingham
Railway. Light a. Power Co, a subG-
diary Of American cities company.
They also have started operations ~
Dcs Moines Ia I'm Fort Worth, Tex"
over I40 jitneys are being operated
with average receipts of 81 each
day while the street railway company
is averaging less than 5000 a day. ac-
cording to reports from that city.
Among the companies which nave
been most seriously hurt, from rev
enue viewpoint, by the iitney competi-
ton are the United Railways of san
Francisco, the San Diego Railway
4 loo H. n A.
company. the Pasadena Traction co'n-
pany the San Francisco-Oakland Ter
minal railways, the Tacoma Traction
4, Power, the Seattle Electric, the
Houston Electric, the Fort
Worth street Railway company, Met
ropolitan Street Railway of Kansas
CITY, Birmingham Street railway
Portland Railway, Light x power and
others.
municipalities have been consider
ing the question OF regulation for the
jitneys. but so far only a few cities
have taken any action. and the legal
ity of the ordinances which have been
adopted is. questioned. In several
states the legislators have been APP
Dealed to and the question is up De
fore number of state utility com
missions. The difficulty in the regll-
lation of the jitneys is to frame a reg
ulatorv ordinance which viii not az
the same time interfere with the OPP
Grafton of private vehicles.
Public utility commissions are tax
ing up the question because of the eI-
feet which the competition is having
on earnings and securities of electric
railways. 1t is a serious question 70
investors in electric railway securities.
There are several holding companies
which operate many electric railway
lines ard their securities have been
more or less affected by the jitneys
i'm proportion as the subsidiary com
pantes are within or without ths
sphere of competition
There is a difference of opinion as
TO the permanency of the competition,
several electric railway men asserting
that il is only a fad and that the trat-
fie will soon return to the street ran
wav lines. Others say they belieVe
the jitneys have come to stay ana
that street railway companies shoulo
at once take steps to meet the sltua-
ton. But no mater what difference
of opinion there may be on thls lea
ture of the case, all men Interested "
the financing and operation OF electIlc
railways realize that just at present
the iltney is working serious INJURY TO
their properties and securities.
Reoorts received in regard to new
cities affected by the jitney bus com
netitioa against street railway INES
include st. Louis, Fort Smith, Ark
oklahoma city and Emp0ria, Kan. In
Kansas City over 100 Of the cars are
now running on twenty-seYen routes
on five routes an eight-mlnute sched-
iIa is being maintained and the cars