Evening journal., 1918-06-03

/ he said, but some additional fare
should be charged for the outlying
zone
on the basis Of increased revenue. Mr..
Manson's report showed that with the
Increase of the fare to six cents the
company's deficit would range from
$4,000 to si03.5OO from June. 1918 10
June. 1919. Should the fare be increased
! 10 seven cents the deficit would range
/ from e. 800 TO $4,000 for the year, ao-
cording 10 the proportional increase OF
revenue from the travelling public.
Engineer Manson concluded:
Even with cent fare increase, the
situation is none too promising, the lg-
ures showing that estimating a 20 per
cent. increase in gross revenue, there
/ is still slight deficit
"The revenue will be increased II the
whole property is speeded up A study
may show that the present headway OF
cars woull be entirely satisfactory pro
vidng car units similar 10 the latest
sype were placed In service. Not only
would there be a saving in our hours
but more passengers could be handled
per car.
ITO carry out this plan and some OF
the economies mentioned above, espec-
tally those requiring new sub-station
apparatus, equipment for train opera
tIon and the replacing OF old cars by
new. requires that the operating COM
pany be in a healthy financial condition
Capital is required 10 purchase new
apparatus, and earnings must be shown
on the present borrowed capital before
additional capital can be secured.
III may be permitted TO offer sus-
gestion 10 your honorable board, II Is
I this: Immediate attention should be
given 10 the operating c0mpany's pc
tition. n you deem Il necessary and
advisable TO grant the increase asked
for. let this advance 20 : cents be not
a fnal fXed rate but temporary rate.
Conditions OF labor and material costs
are unstable. The economies mentioned
above. with perhaps others not mem
toned, should be studied in detail and
tried out. n they become real and per-
monent economies. which can only be
determined by several months trial,
then the rates can be reduced, on the
other hand. II conditions change, the
increase 10 a Z cent fare may not give
the public service company the revenue
! Il needs. Plans should be inaugurated
/ for the speeding up Of the cars and In
the saving Of coal. Fromstime 10 time.
say every three months, the Board OF
I Public Utility Commissioners should in
spect the operating results. A reduc-
tion or raise in fare rates should then
be made, based upon the testimony and
facts presented In other words, the
case should not definitely be settled by
a fixed rate at the present time, but
continued until conditions become
fixed or returned TO normal. the fare
rates being reduced as cost Of operation
is reduced.
And now a final remark: Modern
cities to be prosperous must have ef-
flcient public utilities. and how can the
public utility be efficient II II is not
prosperous The financial condition to-
day OF the Public Utility Company
should be OF the greatest concern 10
the community Regulations and laws
governing their operation should be Of
/ vital interest as any damage done to
the utility Is reflected back 10 the COM
/ munity."
! Following Is the amended petition OF
I the Traction Company asking for per
mission 20 charge seven cent fare
As a supplement 10 and an amend
ment Of its petition nled with youl
? honorable body on the day OF
! May. 1913, Wilmington & Philadelphia
Traction Company respectfully show
eth:
That since the filing Of its petition
praying for the authorization and ap-
proval By the Board OF Public Utility
Commissioners for the city OF Whining
, ton. OF a rate Of trolley fare 10 be
charged by your petitioner Of six
cents where FIVE cents is now charged.
the trainmen OF your petitioner. on
Friday. the 3ist day OF May, refused to
operate the cars, demanding an in
crease in their compensation Of ten
cents per hour.
THAT your petitioner hath. through
negotiations, with its tralnmen. endeav-
ored to the best Of its ability TO sat
isfy them, and hath secured their re-
turn 10 work by agreeing TO grant them
an increase Of eight cents per hour In
! the rates OF their wages. effective
June 4, 1918. and 10 pay them an addi-
tionsl two cents per hour. in case your
honorable body shall authorize and ap-
prove the charging by your petitioner
OF a trolley fare Of seven cents.
THAT the increase Of eight cents per
/
will entail an expenditure by your pc
2 titiOner OF. approximately, one hun
dred and thirty thousand dollars per
!. annum. above the sum now paid by
! your petitioner for wages OF such
trainmen and other employees within
the state Of Delaware; that an in
crease in the compensation OF said
trainmen OF ten cents per hour will
entail an expenditure by your petit
! tioner OF, approximately. one hundred
, and sixty thousand dollars per annum
above the sum now paid by 10 for
! wages OF such trainmen and other en-
, ployes within the state Of Delaware
| THAT an increase OF trolley fares TO
seven cents. according TO the best esti-
mates Of your petitioner. will result In
an increase OF the income OF your petit
! toner in approximately the sum Of two
hundred and ffty-elght thousand dollars
THAT as fully set forth in the said
! petition OF said Wilmington & Phila-
/ delphis Traction Company. now pend
ing before your honorable body, your
petitioner cannot pay out such increas-
ed wages, without an increase in the
rate OF trolley fare authorized to be
= charged by IL. and rate OF trolley fare
r Of six cents would be wholly made
o. quate 10 produce the necessary income
b TO enable your petitioner TO pay the in
crease Of wages OF either eight or ten
. cents per hour 10 its said employees.
= I'm order that your petitioner may
Q be ensbled 10 pay to its said trainmen
o the increase OF eight cents In the rate OF
a.