Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-29

Common Council, also was present to
corroborate Councilman Colborn's state
ment that by Thursday he would have
ready for Mr. Colborn's introduction in
Common Council an ordinance to compel
abandonment of the skip-stop which Mr..
| Colborn requested last week.
| The meeting was presided over by
W. o. Dobson, president of the South
Sixtieth Street Business Mems Associ-
alton, and was preceded by a delega-
tion with music marching through the
streets of the section inviting all citizens
to attend mass-meeting to abolish
murder by the Philadelphia Rapid Tran
SIT Company" Select Councilman Gar
man was the first speaker.
This constant killing is appalling"
he said, land something Immediately
must be done. A few years ago an ordi-
nance was passed to compel the p. r. r.
Company to bring its cars to a full stop
at every important intersecting street
crossing, and I believe that law is still
upon our statute books.
There is no logical defense for the
continued maintenance of the skip-stop
system with its high-speed street cross
ing endangering life and limb. If any
economy or saving is necessary. let the
company reduce it's power consumption
in the number of its lights or in any
other of the number of ways that are
open to il but we refuse to sanction or
permit any method or system which con
stantly menaces and takes the lives of
our citizens. You may count upon me
for the fullest support of whatever meas
ures are necessary
Councilman Karstaedt struck at what
he characterized as the very root of the
impulse causing the transit company
officials to maintain n public danger
Of
Blamed on Finance
"1 readily can picture the sadness pre-.
} railing on this Thanksgiving Day In that
home where a boy lies dead. victim OF
; the Philadelphia Juggernaut," he SAID
And what is the real reason for this
: alleged economy parading under the
guise of patriotism?
r ut is nothing more nor less than ar
effort to save money at the expense o.
lives. in order that money may be go
!. into the Rapid Transit Company's treas
= ury with which to pay dividends on It's
( watered stock. For without those divi
dends it would fall from its presen
!, quoted price of $26 a share back to o.
, below it's actual value of $14 or SIS.
"It Is for that financial manipulation
= for such dirty, murderous worlS-tha
" we are invited to tolerate a system
y which strikes down our people in thei
; innocent use of the highways.
This skip-stop system is being main
u tanned under the fraudulent pretense OF
;. patriotism, and ! say pass a resolution
:, putting our demands straight up tc
Councils, and if that body will not civ,
the necessary relief. then give ever!
: citizen the right to remedy the situation
as each thinks best
Magistrate Robert Carson declared /
yNsn l1A -ti nf N
citizens or dollars for the Transit Com
pany.
! Transit company officials have beer
quoted as saying the skip-stop system
ia saving them from IA to 16 per cent,
he continued. THE things that hav
been happening, not alone on Sxtietl
street and in the Forty-siXth Ward, bu
throughout virtually every part of th
city. show US at what human cost th
profit to the Transit Company is beinl
collected.
I'VE not only demand that our Coun
cilmen shall wage this fight to a finis
next Thursday. but we feel assured. fror
what we know of public feeling through
out the city. that we have started some
thing this afternoon which will be hear
all over Philadelphia in united pro
test and demand for immediate relief an
remedy .......
MacRey Gives opinlon
The suggestion Of Joseph A. Brudde
that injunction proceedings at once b.
, instituted to compel the company to sto
it's cars at all important thoroughfare
was abandoned when Mr.. Macley, an at
torney. as we'll as chairman Of the Work
mems Compensation Commission out
lined the legal status of the situation.
THE streets of this city," he salt
belong to the municipality, and there
!, fore the citizenship For that very reaso
| doubt If any court would grant even
preliminary injunction I put that fol
ward, of course. only as my own pei
sonal opinion but I feel quite certai
about it. The courts, / believe, Woul
refer such complainants either to I'll
: Public Service Commission or Council
u the governing body and more likely II
Is latter
m "As the governing body for tho citigeI
y ship, Councils granted certain conce
sions for the use of the streets to II
le Philadelphia Rapid Transit Compan
ie Without regulatory stipylatons ther'
or fore upon the part of the governir
3. body the Transit Company could ru
ID it's cars from one end of the line to Il
d other without stopping if it chose to c
1t so. But Councils made such stipulation
D. and profit prompted that course anywa
n upon the part of the Transit Company.
,- "In the eXigency of war and the nece
1t sity for conserving fuel the fuel admins
& tration ordered certain streets skiDpe
in order to save the coal consumed