New-York tribune., 1919-12-22
Nickel Fare or
We Walk, Says
Staten Island
Company, Which Wants to
Quit, Claiming $4,000
Loss Monthly, Agrees to
Operate Pending Hearing
Inefficiency Is Charged
Civic League Head Fears
Sister Corporate n
Gets Traction Funds

Gets Traction Funds
Staten Islanders are not going to pay
more than a nickel to ride on trolley
cars, even if they have to walk At
least that was the general opinion ex-
pressed yesterday, when it was learned
that the company operating all the sur
face cars on the island had notified
Public Service Commissioner Nixon
that it was losing $4,000 a month and
wanted to quit, the sooner the better.
Eight million passengers are carried
annually by the cars it was stated yes
terday, but the people say they are so
embittered by what they term the
public be- damned" policy Of the road
that they are prepared to suffer the
inconvenience of walking miles to fer
ries and steam railroads, or even to
utilize automobiles and buses, rather
than grant the corporations plea.
Informed last night of the general at
titude of the people of Staten Island
with regard to the trolley company,
Commissioner Nixon said the company
had not asked for an increased fare.
but merely had stated that it could not
go on spending other peoples money
for the service.
Suspension Postponed
Mr.. Nixon said he had dissuaded the
company from suspending service i'm
mediately. as it had threatened, and
had called hearing for next Monday
to consider steps to avert a serious
situation.
DR.. L. A. Dreyfus, president of the
Staten Island Civic League, which has
1000 members, including leaders in all
branches of industry, declared that the
former attitude Of the company toward
the travelling public and mismanage-
ment in its operation was responsible
for the unpopularity of the company
and the widespread feeling against it.
'If the company quits it will be
serious situation, as far as the public
Island Civic League has had before it
the proposal to allow the company to
charge q seven-cent fare, because the
people felt that they would get no bet
ter service for a higher fare. Person
ally, | think the increased fare is a
inst demand"
Dr.. Dreyfus charged that the COM
pany was conducted inefficiently, and
that it was doing q greater business
now than ever before. He said the
light and power division Of the Rich
the Midland Railway, running the cars,
were under the same management.
Monopoly Charged
"We'd like to be shown that the light
and power company isn't absorbing the
profits of the trolley company" he said
"The trolley company buys all its
power from the light and power com
pany, which is a profitable business,
virtually having monopoly of the
light and power supply in the Borough
OF Richmond"
All of the villages in the center of
the island, from ST. George to Totem
vile, and most of the large shipbuild-
ing and manufacturing plants would
be cut off from convenient transporta-
ton service if the trolley company
should carry out its promise to retire,
DR.. Dreyfus said. He said that most
Downey and Standard shipyards use
the trolleys in going to and from work
Women going shopping from one place
on the interior of the island to another
have no other way of travelling
DR.. Dreyfus said that a person could
ride from one end Of the island to the
other, a distance of more than fifteen
miles, for 5 cents, but that most of the
passengers were carried for short
hauls. He said that the Public Service
Corporation of New Jersey had offered
to supply the company with power and
would be glad, he thought, to take over
hn
Bus Lines insufficient
There are few bus lines on the island,
running to the base hospital at Fox
Hills, but these he thought, could not
be developed to replace the trolleys
within reasonable time.
I'VE want to be fair, but we want
to be shown" DR.. Dreyfus said.
"We've called on the trolley company
several times for figures of their con
dition. but never have got them. What
we want to know is whether the SIT 900
month Is actual loss or whether it is
paid over to the power company"
. l.. l.. Tribus, president of the Staten
Island Chamber Of Commerce, declared
that the company, because of it's val
uable franchise, would never carry out
its threat to suspend operation. He
said that the trolleys had to carry
passengers too far for single fare
and that zone system should be put
into operation. He said that the situa-
tion was serious, but that the people
OF the island were pre ejudiced against
the company, which, he said carried on
ITS two lines more than half the travel
ing pebhc of the borough
mass meeting will be held tonight
at the Borough Hall, St. George. Rep
resentatives of the company, civic or
ganizations and the Public Service
Commission are expected to be pres
will be explained by Thea company rep
resentatives, and residents will be given
an opportunity to propose remedies.
E1n.A. III