Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-12-14
Enrntng Ol1at

"There is one thing about Harris
burg which has not been hit by the
high price move and which to the
credit of the people who run it has moi
taken advantage of the soaring cost
of living and the mounting cost of al.
most everything else" said u resident
of this city this morning. Naturally
he was asked what could be so un.
usual that had escaped notice.
Street car rides was the compla.
cent reply. I'm not joking. Think
of it, You have seen the price oi
-four. coal and everything else go ur
and the railroads have tackled on in.
creased prices and you pay more fol
books and everything else. But you
can still ride from Hoffman's wood:
to the lower end of Steelton for .
nickle and you can go from PaXtang
to any part of the city for the same
price. This is Just what you used to
pay. The prices for rides on the Har-
risburg trolley system are just where
they were twenty years ago unless
they are longer. I'm not sure of that
and it does not matter. The point is
that the price of rides in spite of the
growth of the city, the increased cost
| OF equipment and the numerous other
| Things that have entered into trac-
ton operation in this city and State
has not increased. The only fault tc
be found Is that the company still
persists in its refusal to sell siS
| tickets for quarter or to give chill
| drens rates as Is done by other
cities 1t has learned after fighting
against 1t for years that night carr
pay. 1t has had its own trials and
tribulations but you can still ride as
far FOR a nickle as you could in 1886"
Speaking of trolley cars it is inter.
esting to watch the way the conduc-
tors take the transfer checks and the
tricks that are tried on them. The
| experienced conductor makes the pas
senger with a transfer present il
| opened. Some of the conductors dc
not hesitate to stop people to make
them unroll the slips of paper and the
! person who does not comply speedily
hears from the other passengers wait
ing to get in and receives hostile
! glances when he or she sits down
| The great public will not stand fol-
four-flushing and the wise person un.
| rolls the ticket when entering a car
! Occasionally there is a conductor who
| in the rush has to take a ticket which
is rolled up but he keeps his eye or
the person who gave it and more
than once man who has tried to slide
through a stale" transfer Is tapped
on the shoulder at his seat and asked
to make good. The conductors are al.
ways the favorites in the car at thai
time and very uncomfortable is the
person who attempts to cheat.
= One of the oldest attempts to get
through crooked game in regard tt
a transfer, was tried on one of the up.
town lines by a man who had come
from Philadelphia. He had a couple
of transfers which he had accumu.
lated in Philadelphia and he decided
to try to save q nickle. He got on 6
car and proffered one of the trans.
fers. 1t happened that it was almosl
the same color as that of one division
on the lines here. but the difference
was caught by the conductor and he
quietly handed back the slip with the
information that the car had left
twenty-four hours before. The mar
paid nickle and when the conductor
was complimented upon the quickness
with which he had detected the trick
he was asked how he did it. I'VE gel
used to looking for the hour. We dc
it automatically because If we turn in
one which is not right we have to ex-
plain" said he. Now 1 looked for
the time and in doing so caught ths
name of line I knew was in Phila-
delphia. 1t happened that the time
was about the same hour the day be.
fore. l just handed that fellow {
quiet jolt"
Some of the old-time conductors or
the trolley line can spot a bad coir
as quickly as a crooked transfer. The
one thing that worries them is a Can
adian dime. But it is to be noted that
they generally manage to get rid OF
them pretty swiftly.
Harrisburg people who have com.
planned from time to time of the use
less noises that infiict themselves upon
residents of this city, especially in the
business section, will be interested tc
know that Pittsburgh, the city which
got rid of its smoke nuisance, is TAX
ing steps to knock the noises. A few
days ago Maurice Pease, who has
been the police "silencer" of noises in
Baltimore, spoke at Pittsburgh under
the patronage of the Civic Club OF
Pittsburgh. Mr.. Pease recited hun
dred or more unnecessary noises that
have been reduced to a minimum III
Baltimore during the past two years
Autos, steam engines shop whistles
grinding gears in large factories, and
all friction machines made too much
noise" he said, land so we approach
ed the owners and asked co-opera-
tion in eliminating as much noise as
possible. We won that cooperation
by friendly approach and suggestion
and to-day the citizens of Baltimore
work in hearty sympathy with the
police in the noiseless movement"
Representative Asa A. Weimer, of
Lebanon, who was reelected in No
vember was here yesterday afternoon
and visited friends in the city as we'll
as calling on the Governor at the
Capitol. Mr.. Weimer Is q prominent
manufacturer and q keen student of
legislation.