El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-11-13
STREET GARFATE
SERIOUS MATTER
All Over Country They Say
They Must Have More
Fare or Go Broke.
By FREDERIC J. RAsKIN.

e-@------E At--r - - wv - j ~
street car magnate all over the coun.
try is saying that unless he is allowed
70 charge higher fares. the street car
viii follow the buffalo, the passenger
pigeon, free silver and the open sugar
bowl. into the limbo Of things that
were.
The street car passenger IS 4vailing
that unless he gets better service. Il
there is anything in the theory that
acquired characteristics are heredit-
arg, his children VII be flat Ike
founders and have one arm a foot
longer than the other. The street car
CONDUCTOR and also the notornan are
Claiming or striking for higher wages.
and the street car itself lifts up to
heaven the sad voice Of its fiat wheel
The magnates points to the fact
mat about 30 companies nave already
gene out OF business. bankrupt. From
his viewpoint. there is nothing for it
but a raise in the rate OF fares. And
rom any viewpoint, such a raise
seems necessary If the care are to 90
on running.
The Cause OF DIsnEreenlents.
Unlike the price Of doughnuts or
celaloid collars, which may be indi-
rectiy fixed by the war industries
board. 4 raise in car fare rates de-
pends on the viii OF the public Natur-
ally. the public is not in favor Of in
TcstinE one. two or three extra cents
in street car rides especially when
street car riding involves . series OF
acrobatic stunts on the part OF the
passenger y lille swinging pendulum
Ike from a strap in order 10 maintain I
OF @ higher rate Of fares2N asks the
rublic. And the street car company
answers cheerfully that the extra cent
or two Is needed % keep the system 1
u operation at all
To support arguments Is to its IN
euyiable financial condition any street
car company will produce statistical
reports showing that the net income
Of the electric railway business for
the past year fell over so percent IN
comparison with the preceding year.
TIE Cost OF Cars
Few people understand that an or
binary green backed or yellow sided
street car, with no velvet upholster-
ing OF artistic wall decorations. costs
between $4,000 and So 00o Before
3 he war. the same car would have
been delivered FOR $1,000 The extra
$1,000 now paid represents to the
street car company an overhead eN-i
peuse for which no return can be-
made, because the company cannot
fix its rate to correspond with its
increased expenses.
another blow TO the once thriving .
is the high cost Of labor. A
street car conductor in some cities ,
how commands q salary as high as
s115 ? month, by order Of the national ,,
var labor board. This figure, which
Is somewhat larger than the remun-
grafton OF many OF our scientists and ,
is not an unusually high
rate in war labor wage scales. Thei
war labor board awards q certain =
IL
& company according to living cOndi- :
lions in the locality 1t rests with the
company 10 pay the price or lose its
zen
Big Wages Increase. e
Estimates on pay Of electric rail-
way employees show that for the pres I
ent year the wage increase is $780,
jee.0e0. Most industries meet added
expenses and profits by raising rates Q
A street car system. being a pubhci q
utility. cannot do this, because the 7
companies are organized according to .
contract with the city government,
md Invariably the contract provides
or service at fixed rate OF fare. In
rider 10 raise the rate II is necessary
soecure the consent OF the city coun- z
II OF other civic body responsible for s
lu5lc utilities Tackiing these Off Q
.ials is according to the railroads. 4 5
eat requiring the tact Of q diplomat I
ne eloguence OF a lawyer. and the j
iatielce OF = school teacher, and then, }
Inc times out Of ten, the rate re- g
Mains the same Il
The C0mpzny'E Position. ?
The company has to Seal with citi-l
eus's associations, popular vote, and
he city officers. all influenced by
he fact that street car systems have e
he reputation Of making easy money ~
p some cities municipal ownership OF n
ublic utilities has been established n
3 q solution OF the problem Upon a
Investigation Of conditions, the utili- :.
les committee almost invara bly, rases u
ares TO defray expenses. %
4 conspicuous example Of this Y
n found in Boston where munich =
pal ownership has raised the fare
from five cents to seven.
Comparatively poor car service IN Z
ONE centers IS due partly to the labor
heritage and partly 10 the scarcity OF
treet cars In one southern city. II
ven the head bookkeeper Of the car
ompauy and other officials Of Dig
iry turn out and run cars at rush
ours Even where 4 company is will
Is 10 risk borrowing in order TO pur-
lase cars, the situation IS not helped
ankers VIII not lend money to elec-i
-ic railways because Of the latrers
cor financial condition
National Commission.
II has been suggested that a fair
cal for both railroads and public
Z EuL ne insured a1E a national pubic
tilities commission with authority
ranted by the president TO study in ,
Tiduai cases and fix reasonable s
ties A commission Of this sort 1
ould prevent more companies from
Ding out Of business and see that
.aes were not raised by any com
mics already making fair profit
such g commission would undoubt-
Ivy help IN this emergency But the
resent breakdown Of the nations
rect car system Is seen by many OBJ
rivers as proof Of the futility OF hav-
2 the government control and regu-
tie. rather than own public utilities
0vernmenr regulation, both city and
itional is always COMPROMISED
eacure- Like a coed many other
mprOmise measures Il often doesn't
ork
The city governments generally
xed the street car rate at nickel
hen the companies were granted
cir franchise. For 4 long time the
rect car companies piled up mil n
ms at this rate. Then the war came
ong. and at the very same rate they -
I collapsed. Plainly, the logical Ca
ing would be for the city govern -
ems to run the street car lines ~
ensslves and charge the public rs