Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-06-07
CARFARE INCREASE
ATTACKED At CITY
COUNCIL MEETING
Public Meeting Tomorrow Night
to Discuss the Change IN
Rate to Seven Cents.
UTILITY BOARD A TARGET

The weekly meeting of City Council.
last night. was enlivened by an attack
on the proposed increase in trolley fare
from five To seven cents.
1t was finally decided 10 have public
meeting in the Council Chamber Mt :
o'clock tomorrow night, for n public dis
ctlssion of the fare increase, Council
having requested the utility commits
sioners to attend.
Among the protests received was one
from the Voters Non-Partisan League,
which made target of the Board OF
Public Utility Commissioners, claiming
that in permitting the increase 1t had
acted arbitrarily, without the consent
of the people. The communication called
attention to the fact that strip tickets were
withdrawn soon after the Utility Com
mission was created; that fight, which
was led by the then State Senator Thomas
NJ Monaghan. against discontinuanCc
of these tickets, was lost, because the
commission claimed that It had no power
to engage an expert to investigate the
alta RS OF the Traction Co that in Trenton
y j.. fve-ccnt fares and strip tickets
continue. commenting that In New
Jersey the people have a real utility
board, a State commission which protects
the interests of the people instead of the
railway companies. The leagues com
munication charges that the hoard rs
not protecting the interests Of the people
of Wilmington, but Is protecting the
interests of the Traction Co, &c. Is
il not amusing when We think back a few
years." the communication asks Then
the Utility Commission had no power to
engage experts to report on the physical
value of the company $ system and rollolng
stock Today the commission has the
power Why? Because the Traction
Go. and its bankrupt financial masters
need the money, &c. The Communlca-
ton asks whether Council Is going to
continue to stand for this Utility Com
mission. to appropriate funds to pay the
members, &c, when the wishes OF the
pc >ple are always ruled against and the
wishes Of the Traction Co, ohcvcd
Attention is called ID the fact that the
commission did not grant the request Of
the league and the Central Labor Union
for an evening meeting. At which working
mon might hc heard The league asks
that Council decline to approve the bill
of the commission unit, the courts pass
upon It's acts. stating that the league
intends To tight the matter and asking for
the support Of Council The CommunIca-
ton stated that the majority Of the per
sons favoring the increase in fare do not
,l>c the trolley cars. some being non
residents, and predicting that II the matter
were To he put to a vote Of the people it
would DC defeated by vote Of 90 to /
LIVELY DEBATE.
After the letter from tho Non-Parti-
sans League had been read, ono OF the
longest discussions for long time was
heard in which both the Traction Cor
and the Public Utilities Commission were
useless board, as it was termed by
Councilman johnson, we're criticised
Councilman Robertson started the dis
cussion by saving that il sometimes
does fellow world Of good" II struggle
along without help ana then 10 cot the