The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-30
J|Th[Y is FEARED
N OTHER CITIES
Transit omciais Here Not Alone in
seeing Menace to Street Car
iDevelopFnenI

Philadelphia. says the Press. of that
CITY, has not been alene IN It's anxiety
over the jitney question as a menace
to the further Advancement of the
street car system. The Scientific Amer
lean. in It's mess recent supplement,
devotes considerable space to this
topic. in which IL is pointed out that
the jitrey bus is making serious in
roads into the revenues Of the rail-
way companies.
The author Of the article visited a
large number of cities in the Middle
West, and the titney question was dts
cussed by the heads OF more than
tweoty railroad systems. While iegis-
lation was passed in several places
that prevented the advent of the jit-
Hey and the grades and street condi-
tons in other cities made the nusi-
ness Improbable. IL is contendeJ that
everywhere tsfe iitney looms up as a
goblin 90 tho railway maguate.
il is certain that there will soon be
a decided slump in the iitney business,
says the articie---first. because with
the coming of cold weather patrons
will be glad to return 10 the closed
street car. and. second because the
jitney. when II first appeared, was re-
ceived with open arms as novelty,
not as public conveyance. But at
the same time. the writer continues,
no matter what legislation is forced
through, there will still be sufficient
nickel buses on the streets TO seriously
interfere with the advancement of the
street railway.
The operators of street railway sys-
TENS agree that there are three means
of meeting the situation. until regu-
lations can be obtained that will curb
for once and all the jitney business.
First, to decrease service and cut
down operating costs, Tt1is. Ii is real
lied, will simply give the jitneurs a
better chance. but would be adopted
to bring most forcibly to the attention
OF the city authorities the need of pro-
tecting the railway company's inter
ests.
Second. to put on a large number
of ntney cars or buses 10 run in COM
petition with the privately owned jit-
neys. and to either force the other out
by giving lower fares, or compel reg
ulation by the character of the COM
petition. 1t is realized that this would
simply be an emergency measure, and
that the operation Of these cars would
he at loss. and that their success In
driving other jitneys from the bust
ness would terminate in a heavy loss
on the machines. welich would then
automatically become useless to the
operators.
Third. to increase the service on
lines subject to jitney competition. and
to cut down headwavs. or lines off
the titney routes, with the idea of
taking back sufficient passengers from
the jitneys so that the narrow margin
of profit to their drivers now existing
would he entirely wiped out. or where
they are operating at cost or less, that
they would the quicker realize the
hopelessness of continuing in the buss-
ness.
There was a wide diversity of epin-
ion as to the merit of these schemes,
said the Scientific American, but the
majority of the railway men declare
the first scheme suicidal in That it
enables the jitneys to make a very
much greater revenue and increases
still further the complaints OF dissatis-
fed patrons.
The second scheme, too, It said,
was also generally considered a dan
gerous experiment. and likely to lead
to trouble with the public. besides be-
ing extremely expensive and probably
not very successful
nv hliTu MHtf1P was n0ST
unanimously agreed to as being the
logical move, but the opinions are al
most equally unanimous that IL would
involve too great expense. both in the
purchase of new cars and in the cost
OF operation, especially platform
wages 1t is further agreed that IL
such a service were once begun the
railway companies must continue II
and at great loss to them in view
of the idle cars that would be lying
around their barns
The use of one-man street cars as
a means of cutting down expenses
during the 'iitney raid" doomed up as
the most possible solution. An exami-
nation of the charter of the majority
OF car companies. however. disclosed
that 1t Is incumbent upon the COM
pany TO have two men on each troll
ley. whether they are prepayment cars
or not. Thus 1t is that the railway
operator. 1t is said, is vainly endeav-
oring to find some means Of combat
| ing the "jitney evil until Councils
and Legislature take a hand In the
matter and adjust things satisfactory
IN all M rtiaR