Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-02
CURBSTONE MEETINGS
VAINLY ATTACK P. R. 7.
President Mitten, the Com
: pany, the Service and the
War Are Holly Denounced
ONLY POTENTIAL RIDERS
Would-be Passengers on 10Th Street
Receiving Same Treatment Accord
cd Northeast and w. Phila.

Tho Inadequate trolley facilities aht
their tendency to become worse Instead
Of better. the apologies offered by Prcsi-
dent Mitten, OF the Philadelphia Rapid
Transit Company and Mr.. AIitten's
promises 10 try to do better were dis
cussed. this morning, at "A curbstont
meeting of indignant would-be trolley
riders at Nineteenth and Green streets
The situation cannot be said 20 have
been discussed pro and con" There
were no speakers on the pro" side
everybody was against tho situation as
II now exists. Everybody blamed the
T. Il. r. and some blamed the war as
a contributing cause Of the city's
wretched transit predicament
IL was sort of continuous meeting.
II was interrupted occasionally by a
string OF trolley cars that would absorb
all the walters. but presently more men
and women who wanted to get TO the
city TO work appeared and by the time
another group of cars would arrive there
would he n 'eoodly crowd of potential
riders, each giving his or her own crti-
cal view OF the situation. and each en-
ployinE his or her own CDlOrful adj
jcctlves 10 describe #.
There was much comment on the
Grand Jury's criticism of the p. Il. T..
and some indignant would-be riders even
criticized the Grand Jury for not being
more critical
They seem to think the war Is to
blame for part of it," said ono man,
but have been in Chicago. New York
Cleveland and a few other places In the
last month, and they all seem TO have
got on to some scheme to provide rea-
sonably decent car service, war or no
war"
Tie situation for persons who want 70
get cars for town along Nineteenth street
above and below Green has been grow
ing worse and worse in the passing
weeks. One man says the only way he
can reach work in time is by waiting
twenty minutes for car that will stop
for him or walking north until he comes
10 a point where the cars will stop.
Cars OF Route 16. terminating at
Front and Market streets. and Route 80
terminating at Front and Arch streets,
20 down Nineteenth street Three
Route 33 cars absorbed the waiting
crowd on Green street. persons waiting
for Route I6 taking No. 80 because they
did not know when they would get n
No. lG. The three Route SO cars came
at 1858. and s:olia. There was no
car then until sos, when a Route 10
appeared. IT, was the first in thirteen
minutes II was jammed and failed to
stop. Right after 1t were -four more
Route 16 ears. All passed without stop
ping at S:1@. S:14, S:1iia, s:16
For thirteen minutes there had been
no Route lG fars and then there We're
five in six and onc-half minutes. but
not one of them stopped.
'I call them banana cars" said one
facetious gentlemen who had preserved
"A sense of humor and evidently didn't
work where he would he called down
for being late. "a call them banana cars
because they come in punches"
Yes. and ROTTEN at that" said an
other, who looked mad enough to fight,
evidently a man whose employer eS-
pected him TO be at his desk on the dot
even il he had TO fly to get there.
That's right" said girl. They're
banana clrs. all right. They come in
punches, but 7 wouldn't care so much IL
there were only punches enough. But
there aren't"