Norwich bulletin., 1919-08-26
WILLIMANTIC

we do not run over a fixed route an, drop our fares at the nearest intersect
 we we do est nct move ds for iess @ than % 50 cents 1 Then ttere is a charge of 25 cents fo | each additional person. It is perfect ly possible for us to get six mil. I drive and yet only be able to chargs at that rate? The only way we car make any money is on the long dis | tance hau1s. If we had to depend or
 the city alone. we would starve
 ! I know you will speak of MT. Mur- l phy and say that he is able to charge | only 25 cents and continue in business without complaint But MT. Murphy has special riviIeges, and how many | times have you seen him with less l nan two or three in his car? We are only called on during bad weather, and then it costs us from Is to 20 cents a mile to run our cars. Any of these men will tell you that they prefer country roads to the streets of Willi- mantle anyway. for the sake of their cars. I am sure that these business
 men in the council who framed these
 bottom of their hearts that there was
 money in it. go into the jitney busi-
 ness themselves.
 We are in this business day in and
 day ont, and at the end of a year all
 we have is bare living and wrecked
 car. We used to be able to get a
 skilled mechanic to work on our cars
 for 40 cents an hour Now we pay 2 dollar an hour and they don't do any
 work A few days ago I overheard this statement concerning the fixing of the jitney rates: Those d--d fools
 didn't come to the meeting and we fixed IL just as we d-d pleaSed!' And yet, gentlemen. we are married men, trying to earn living and raising our children to be the future rulers of Wil1imantic. Any man who uses inn partial juds. sent can see the injustice of the rates.
 Harry I. Blanchard a local boy,
 who is driving between here and
 Hartford said that he had to do so because he couud not make any mon ey in local work
 tions MT. Peck took the floor again and suggested that the tariff here be made that of New London or some of the other cities of the state. Nor a fixed schedule. We won't get rich but we can make living if we are allowed to charge fifty cents for nov ing our car and twenty five cents for each passenger over the first one. We make no charge for small children and no charge for extra suitcases. We use common sense and Judgment. All we ask is justice. There is no state law to compel a driver to take fare. If he doesn't choose to help he can let
  Or he can take them to assistance for charity--or a a quarter which is not much different. This Is strictly bus hess proposition.
 haven't mentioned the immense ex- pense of becoming driver now. Be- sides the jitney driver Is liable to ser vice at all hours. He gets home and gets to bed and some one calls up and wants him and he has to get up. The new rates for such service are not In conformity with either common sense or business.
 Another of the drivers present stat cd that he was roady to quit as soon as the law went into effect. He said that he had had sign printed stat ing that his car would not be for city 1 hire after July l. He stated that he has taken considerable pains to dis play that sign through this state and | part of Massachusetts and has not lost any opportunities of explaining l what a nice generous body of men they | had making laws In willimantic. He said that after September i he was going to take of his public service | license plates and enjoy himself over | the public discontinue.
 When asked why jitney men had not | shown up at the hearing Mir. Peck said | that he thought that the published l notice stated that the meeting was to discuss the matter of parking. Lat or the notice was brought in and stat ed clearly that the fares were to be discussed. In discussing this matter Mir. Peek spoke disparagingly of the street committee but withdrew his re- marks at the request of Alderman