Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-09
Public Urged to Aid
in Fight on TrOlIeys


Vontinued from PaEe One
that the Admiral may not have to waste
time waiting for figures when he reaches
Philadelphia,
A movement 10 have the ordinance
\ which drove jitncys from the streets
| either repealed or amended to permit
1 jitneys TO operate IL also under way
The Government and the y. r. T. Com
pany are working out details OF Il plan
| for a line to Hog Island from Fortleth
and Chestnut streets through the For
| tieth Ward The line will cost about
! $1,000. 900, of which the company Is to
/ provide half and the Government is to
lend the other half. On this line the
l 100 cars the company recently ordered
/ from the j. O.. Brill Company will oper-
/ ate. The cars will he delivered in June
/ The Government gave n priority order
| for them, But for that they could not
| be delivered so soon. since the Bril-
| Company Is engaged in Government
| work.
"sKTP-STDP SYSTEM" SUGGESTED
| The skip-stop system may be ordered
| by the Government in philadelphia to
speed up the trolley service to the navy
yard. Under this plan every alternate
car would stop at every alternate
street.
Peoples will first seek n solution Of
| the present troubles. through con-
ferences with Mayor Smith and officials
of the company. but his primary in
structions from Secretary Daniels will
be TO provide better car service. oven
though drastic steps are necessary.
Secretary Daniels ordered this action
after conference with committee
representing thirty-ono trades at tho
navy yard and Michael Francis Doyle.
| its attorney. Secretary Daniels read
the protest OF the men over present con-
ditons and Immediately took action
! looking to prompt settlement.
| Daniels said the Navy Department
/ will begin at once the erection Of a
/ shelter for 1000 men at the end of Broad
street and promised IL would be COM
| pleted in ten days. He instructed Solci-
! tor pickens Neaglc to prepare at once
/ an order authorizing Admiral Peoples
| to commander street railway cars ana
| equipment lie stated he had ample
authority in law to do this.
I JITNEy ORDINANCE PLANNED
! MIR. DOYLE will prepare for submission
! to city councils amendments to tn"
| jitncy ordinance 10 provide for lines
| from League Island to Chestnut street
and from the yard TO Diamond street.
I 4 committee of five representatives OF
I the employees will obtain without delay
/ the address of every worker at the yard,
with a view Of determining iuSt what
| changes in the, present lines and schcd-
/ ules arc necessary for the prompt trans
| portation of the men. II will seek to
/ estimate the number Of cars necessary
/ TO handle the traffic
II was explained that Secretary Dan
! lels has power TO commander the street,
| car facilities. under the naval appropria-
! 81 ,fi iQtc xthpnpNpT In his 1NuE
! ment. such action is necessary TO cN-
pedite thc work at the navy yard.
=. Il. 7. WON'T ANSWER
/ The TyESISG PUBLIC LEDGER has pro-
pounded to the =. Il. 7. Company II list
/ of questions regarding It's efforts to
cope with a situation which 1t says it
/ has been unable successfully to handle.
! The answer made was that the company
! had nothing 10 say.
/ The possible solutions of tho trolley
service problem on lines not affected BY
! Government action, as they appear to-
I day are:
! Modification or suspension Of the
I city ordinances purporting TO rcgu-
/ late jitneys. but In effect prohibiting
/ their opr rration. At the suggestion
of Rear Admiral benjamin TUppan,
. rommandsnt of the Philadelphia
B
pend or modify these ordinances to
permit the jitneys to operate until
-, such time as the y. Il. r. Company
shall demonstrate its ability TO fur
nish the adequate service that IL Is
not now providing.
Following the published statements Of
the company that II was doing the best
It could in unusual circumstances TO pro-
! vide adequate service the EVENING
PUBLIC LEDGER asked the company the
following questions:
Has any effort been made To bor-
row ears from the Fsirmount Park
Transportation Company which are
not In use during the winter and early
spring:
The company had nothing to say on
that subject. The EvENING prDLIc
LEDGER learned. however. that. though
such effort had not been made, IL would
have produced no benefit. The Fair
mount Park cars are of wider gauge
/ than the =. K. T. tracks and could not
be used on those tracks
Has tho ndyisnbiiity Of using open
ears Immediately been considered:
The company had nothing TO say on
that subject. The EvEN1NG Public
, LEDGER learned. however. that such Il
plan was workable. Physicians said
that if passengers were warmly clad
they would not suffer from riding in
open ears and might even benefit. since
! the open air is far more healthful than
that in closed ears. especially when the
ears are jammed to capacity. The cars
have little and sometimes no heat, 80
their atmosphere is cold hut not pure
Riders on open ears would have air
only "a little colder but much purer.
Has the adyisability and possibility
OF using disabled cars ns trailers been
considered:
COMPANY Is SILENT
The company had nothing 10 say on
that subject. Several citizens have
suggested the trailer plan, which is
much used in some cities, IN which cars
are built as trailers and intended for
nothing else. The same system is used
on the subway-elevated lines and on
/ subway and elevated lines elsewhere.
A representative OF the EVENING Pm
| Tic LEDGER recently saw four cars all
/ bound for Front street on Logan square.
/ one was on the north side of the square.
. two on the west and one on the south
! 1t would have been as well If half of
/ these were trailers, but each was pro-
/ ceeding under It's own power
Jitney drivers are ready to resume
/ business, and by 40 doing solve the
| transportation situation If the city will
4 let them, y. NJ. Roberts, who was an
officer of the Jitney Association which
died with the jitneys in 1915, said to-
day:
"lf the big bond requirements and Ii.
censed fees are reduced the jitneys will