Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-10
We Build a Line.

town with nice 9O-pOund rails, freshly
painted and upholstered cars, keep
motormen and conductors and gener-
ally be comfortable, to and from our
work.
After we have built this ideal line,
let only those. who have built it. ride.
Payxnothing. No, that wouldn't be
fair, either My next-door neishbor
put up twice as much money as l and
he very properly declares l may only
ride half as much as he rides. Right
we'll have to adjust that. So. We con-
clude that every time either OF US or
any of us rides We'll drop our nickel
in the box and divvy up--according to
the amount of money put up for the
building and equipment Of our nice new
road.
Drop Nickel In Box.
Well and good, every one is agreed
and, after we pay the motormen and
the conductors, the bookkeeper. the
Office boy, a manager to run the Dust ,,
damages to the poor devil who gets
his foot crushed in the fender and
the owner of Ford who insisted IN
getting in our motorman's way. some
taxes and a few other things, We get
out the cash box and proceed to diyyy
up. 1 only put up 500. while Jim
Smith put up 5000 to help build our
road so, of course, jim gets twice As
much as get. That's fair-everyoody
When we joyfully open the cash bog
and IL we're lucky there may be $1.S5
in it. (Thank God, though. all our
bills are DaidD We decide we Won, wont
be entitled to shaving on one OF
the pennies and. anyway. we wouldn't
want to mutilate the national cur
rency.
and when we again open the treasure
chest there's an extra dollar there.
Fine, we'll soon get dividend. just
as we have decided wen postpone ita
superintendent breaks In and tells US
he needs q. new wheel f>- the on hind
axle on oar No. .. Iroken on the
he gets the thing liked.
The Busted Car Wheel. ;.
We look anxiousiy at the 1856 and at
about S34.62. the price of that new
therein be extra about that much
freight on it from Pittsburgh to
Well! This is q pretty kettle Of
fish! We decide it's rather indecent
to ask us to put up money out OF our
pockets after we have religiously paid
our nickel every time we rode on our
own line, Well lay up that pesky
car, we'll get more nickels by invit-
ing the public to ride with us. Good!
Next month there are lots of nickels
in the cash box-about a thousand
dollars worth. True, we, have been
strap-hanging and. more or less
tramped on. pushed and uncomfort-
SO fresh after our outside friends
have been riding so much.
Never mind-there's a whole lot of
nickels and we conclude we'll divvy.
My share entities me to about %
cents. but that's something. at least.
Lots have it! 49,,
A Collision This Time.
Again that COMPOUNDED superintend-
emit boDs in and this time it's worse
Collision in the barn. knocked two
perfectly good cars out Of commits
sion and the wreck was burned"
How much to replace themr We
ask it with fear and tremblins-and
faint when he murmers sweetly.
something that sounds like $4,000"
When we come to every pencil is
out figuring the number of fares last
month and we decide that, in order
ITO replace those cars at about $13,-
oGo each VEL have W t. get lot mErs
that ride in the cars with US will have
to pay a cent or two every time they
ride. We too.
They object strenuously. refuse to
pay it: Naturally we tell them to pay
or walk and naturally they get mad.
They hunt up the city commissioners
and ask them to order US to let them
ride on our cars for q nickel. We tell
them it can't be done, there are two
cars anyway that even Deity would
have trouble in resurrecting without
Well, fearing confiscation and what
not If we don't obey the commission,
two cars gone and those that ts are wo LEFT
are getting manled. scratched, sun
blistered and our outside friends are
kicking about the rotten service"
We're giving them; T begins to get on
in and pretty well cleans out the cash
box. Some fair one, on q crowded
car gets her frock smudged with
oil and grease and insists we buy her
new creation-or give her damages
SO she can pick 1t out herself. ihe
motorman thinks he ought to have
more money-so does the conductor,
and. we'll. we commence to scratch our
Jim Smith calls on me and unbosoms
himself reciprocate. We figure a
bit.
Crushed and Burned.
Two cars crushed and burned-the
rest gradually wearing out. wheels
fiattening, seats blackened and torn,
rails showing wear. paving alongside
slumpfng-there seem to be million
things calling for money for upkeep.
Not enough in fares to do 1t and the
banks won't lend US their money be-
cause they object to losing 1t. We've
asked them and they smile at US.
Then we think Of the money we put
up to build the burned road. Jim sug-
gests we sell our interest. From 100
down to SO cents on the dollar and no
takers; down, down. until perhaps we
find some brave, idiot who offers Is.
Three-quarters Of our savings wiped
out! We're through. Jim and !. We
paid cents every time we rode ana so
did our outside friends who. in order to
produce US enough nickels for the
broken wheel, were allowed to ride at
all. But they're away ahead OF me-37b
ahead and $3.50 ahead Of Jim. We're
through building and running street
railways: we've had enough! Our out
side friends know we're through and
why? We ask them to run 1t. Do
they? They. do not! mot on nickel
fares" Is their soft rejoinder.
Not . Remedy.
We hgure again; we must ride and
get to our daily tasks. Some profound
doctor of economics suggests munich.