The Denver Jewish news., 1919-01-09
TO The PEOPLE.
A Statement of the
Tramway's Position

Others will say that the matter of increased
wages can be taken care of by reducing "other ex-
penses." But can these advisors designate "Other
expenses" to an amount representing even l per
cent of the wage increase total-because if they
can, they will be the most welcome callers who
ever entered the cOmpany's offices.
And some, of course, will say that the company
should carry its own burden by borrowing money.
We will be only too glad to have these advisors go
out and try to borrow further from any source on
the Tramway's present credit.
Don't you see. Mr. Citizen and Mrs. Citizen that
the whole situation resolves itself into simply ths
THE TRAMWAY COMPANY HAS BEEN OR
DERED TO PAY A WAGE INCREASE WHICH
IT CANNOT PAY OUT OF &c REVENUE AND
Under such circumstances is ii any more unrea-
sonable for the Tramway to ask you more for
ride than it is for your grocer to ask you for
flour or your market man to ask you more for
meat. your shopkeeper to ask you more for
clothing or the theater man to ask yoN more for
admission?
You know that all of them have raised their
prices, but you would feel alarmed to see crowds
take possession of their stores. assault their EN-
plOyes. and seize the merchandise at prices that
prevailed three years ago. Why. then. should
these things be looked upon any differently when
they occur on your transportation system?
The men who led the crowds of the past few
days have been men whose wages have been in
creased enormously. Is it reasonable for them to
expect for their work and still insist that the
laboring men of the Tramway system shall have
no increase lin theirs?
The Tramway comDanv has had to meet enor
mously increased costs of materials account of
the war. 1t has had to meet the growing cOmpeti-
tiOn of the autOmible for years. It now has to
meet wage increase greater proportionaely than
probably any other business in Denver
1t has dealt with all of these problems as effec-
lively as it could and it is still SO dealing with
them, but with entirely open mind and entirely
ready to adapt itselfto any better course that the
public can suggest
solve the problem. But can these advisors point
to any city whose street railway has gone into re-
ceivership that has not RAISED fares and DE-
CREASED service? The resultant setback to the
city from street car company receiversl,p is far
worse and more costly to the city than any strike
experienced. Others will propose municipal
ownership or municipal supervision the best
way out
We are entirely agreeable to any fair and equit-
able plan that the sound judgment of the cOmmun-
ity whole may consider better and more sat
isfactory plan than the one we are now pursuing,
but we have not learned of any plan used in
other cities that has resulted in entire satisfaction
remedied the evils created by the new cost con-
ditons but if any of these plans can be altered to
give Denver all that is wanted, no one will be bet
ter pleased than this company.
We are listening as we have said for the
words of the man men who way to stab
ze conditions and establish methods that are just
and satisfactory to the whole public.
co.