Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-06-06
TRACTION COMPANY.
Continued from page 4

ihttt iiltft ~ LIKELY 10 bP ~ tpnt III hhs
courts before the company takes in Q
penny of added income from its patrons
And this offensive against the order
doubtless will be undertaken by the
Voters Non-Partisan League.
When the commissioners met in tho
| Mayors Office just about the time the
citys population was scuttling for lunch
1t WIS n foregonc conclusion what their
action would be, the matter having been
thrcshcd out on Monday and Mr.. Bayard
| having been told to prepare the order.
| But no sooner were the minutes read and
communications taken up for consldera-
! ton than II was PLAIN To be seen all was
not To be plain sailing
One of the first Of them was from the
! Voters Non-Partisan League and il con
! tanned not only protest against a 7-cent
fare but the expressed desire of the
/ League membership of 1000 for public
! meeting on Sunday that those who work
on weekdays might be present. The
commissioners, the communication said,
were moving too swiftly. As this was read
all the commissioners had to do was to
look across the room where against the
further wall sat +. NJ Davis, the president
of the league.
LEAGUE TURNED DOWN FLATLY.
The reading finished, Commissioner
GarretSon moved the league be told M
reply that the commission already had
held two meetings and would decade the
question before 1t on the facts. The com
mlssioncrs acquiesced $50 ordered, said
President McMulcn There was no com
mcnt from the Leagues chief; business
went on
few minor matters disposed of. MIR
Bayard was asked 20 produce the order
he bad framed He did so and il was read
Then came a little discussion between the
members of the board as Ia certain phrase
ology OF the clauses ON transfers, the mat
ter of providing for the exchange Of five
ior-a-quarter and twenty dollar tick
cts now out for four-for-a-quarter tickets
under the new order Of things, and tho
fixing of a date for the new rate to 70 into
effect, which, the commission decided,
should be next Monday
Then the order was placed on passage
and then the opposition opened fire.
MILEAGE AND MONEY
President DAVIS said he would like 10
be heard and that he represented 1000
worlUnglnen He declared that Vice
President and General Manager Wilson.
Of the trolley company, had assured him
would he all that the company would ask
10 offset the demands Of its trainmcn for
more wages and that this was SO satlsfac-
tory to the league that IT was willing to
enter no objection. And then all OF
sudden came the 9-ccnt project THIS the
league couldn't and wouldn't stand for
No city III the country, he declared, had
less mileage for a trolley company to
cover and none such cheap and rattle
trap system
We don think the public should stand
all thus RAISE he wound up
" no else ought 10 stand it, qucrled
Commissioner Garrctson
" by the traction company, was the
retort It's got some money.
But We have shown that il hasn't.
came back Mr.. Carrot son.
Mr. Wilson explained that the increase
from slN cents to seven was asked for be-
cause Of the sudden strike OF the trolley
men and their demand for ten-ccnt raise
instead of the six-ccnt one promised by
the company The strike. he said had
pulled him out Of bed, it had come over
night and he had made futile efforts 70 get
the men back on the old basis, finally
having recourse TO the compromise that
was effected
HOW MUCH IS NEEDED
The increase IN operating cost to the
company on basis Of five cent raise
for the men means the raising of $50 900
more income and a ten-cent raise just
doubles that figure What with deficits,
etc the additional annual income needed
by the company totals Spa. 600
Then City Engineer Edgar NJ Hopes
talked 10 the commissioners, not as the
city engineer, however, but as a PLAIN
citizen and taxpayer, who had gone with
out his lunch because lunch time was his
own and not the cIty's, 70 appear before
the board and give some reasons he had
been thinking over why 7-ccnt fare was
too much Mr. Hopes based his argU-
ment upon his experience in figuring
operating costs and labor expenses. lie
was IN favor Of the six-cent fare, but he
couldn see the 7-cent one The boost
OF two cents he argued meant 20 per cent |
more for the company Surprising the
wages paid by the men to be 80 per cent
of the company operating expenses the |
real increase TO them through the ten
cent raise to the men would only be |
twenty per cent They could double II |
and still come out right.
Considerable discussion went on be- |
tween MIR Hopes, the commissioners and |
Mr. Wilson, after which the fare order
was adopted
Then MIR Davis got up and said, with |
emphasis: We'll, you'll never get it.
We II fight il as hard as we can-and -
the cost.
And as for you, Mr. Garretson" said
he. facing that commissioner you don't
the pablo
There was no reply and he left the room.
Later he declared that the courts would be
asked 10 take hand and that there WAS
plenty of money to back the leagues
fight
TEXT OF THE ORDER.
The commission order Is as follows:
Whereas, Wilmington d Philadelphia
Traction Company did file its petition
n writing on the sixth day of May, nine
teen hundred and eighteen with this
BOARD wherein and WHEREBY 1t requested
hat permission be given 1t 10 raise the
rate from five cents (5c) TO SIX cents (6c) /
Der passenger for the fares charged upon
is street railway cars in the city Of Viii
nIngton
And whereas, this commission having
etained the services of highly trained
md efficient expert, has had him examine
both the financial and physical affairs of
he said Wilmington 4 Philadelphia
fraction Company;
And whereas, the report Of the said
-xpert has been submitted and eXplai med
o this commission and at public hear
ny held for that purpose;
And whereas, on the third day Of june, |
1918, the said Wilmington d Phlladel-
,hia Traction Company did submit an