The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-05
ADVANCE OF STREET CAR FARE UNDER
 CONSIDERATION Claim Street Car Company Is Losing Money at
 Present Rates PEVEAR DEFINES THE STATUS OF COMPANY Consent of the City Commission Is Necessary to Make Change in Rates-President Pevear
 in New York

Birmingham citizens will not have to pay an extra penny for car fare unless it is absolutely necessary, and this will be determined after the return of Presl- dent J. S. Pevear from New York, where he went yesterday afternoon to take up with his company the matter of securing relief of some kind for the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company. It is claimed that the company is losing money every day. due to the enormous advance in all equipment supplies and the cost of producing the service 1t of fers to the public.
 1t is understood that no steps will be taken before the commission until after MT. Pevear's return. and it is hoped by the company that it may be able to devise some remedial measures without going to the commission.
 The public will be kept informed and given the facts. state the company off, ficials, and if it is necessary for the company to charge 6 cents fare on Bir- mingham street cars. they will be ad- vised of the reasons in details
 Before leaving Birmingham last night for New York, J. S. Pevear president of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company and general manager of the local interests, made public a state ment in which he defines the status of the company and it's operations at pres ent, and names the reasons for the con templated advance in street car fares
 COMMISSIONS CONSENT
 The rate for street car passage can- not be raised without the consent of the city commission. MT. Pevear's statement follows
 You can't eat your candy and still have it.
 Tn view of the conditions that are icing the Birmingham Railway, Light and power company today. and the pulp lie utility companies throughout the country, it is only a question of time until we will have to ask permission to raise the prices on certain of our commodities. Because the need is more pressing, street car fares will have to be raised before our attention Is given to ,ther things.
 We have been operating our street car lines at an absolute loss for some 
 to be able to continue to do this, we cannot tell. During the past few years the tendency has been to increase the lengths of the rides, and the quality of the cars and service. Wages and ma terials have more than doubled at the same time The value of a nickel has signally decreased. With these things all working together to increase the cost of operation and the value of the nickels when we do actually get them in, we have been operating at loss for sometime. There have been losses in other branches of our business here, but the loss on the street car lines has far outbalanced that on any of the other operations in which we are en- gagged.
 SIX-CENT FARE
 These losses have been so great that we feel that it will soon be abso- lutely essential to the continued oper- ation of the lines that we charge G. cent fare.
 NO definite scheme of action has been decided upon yet. We do not know just what to do. We realize fully that unless the people are made to under stand just why we are asking for the increases in prices. they will be unwil- ling to pay more. But we do believe that, as soon as they are made to sec the conditions in their true light, they will be willing to cooperate with us in giving them the service in the usual way We are unable to raise the rates, of course without the permission of the commissioners. The commissioners will not vote us permission to raise the rates unless they feel that the peo- pie of Birmingham are willing and ready to pay the increased prices"