Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-01-12

| Quick Action us to Fare Increase Necessary
| THE TIMES-DISPATCH holds no brief for
| i the Virginia Railway and Power Com
| pany. II can, however, speak for the citi-
zens OF Richmond, whom il serves, and for
! their information ii may be stated frankly
| and honestly that the time has come when
| the street car company must have financial
| relief if it is not to face disaster. In fact,
it is facing disaster now, aud haste is i'm
perntive This is not said with any intenti,l
OF helping the street car company to an in
| crease in its revenues, but with Il knowledge
Of the facts and the further knowledge that
il the assistance. is not forthcoming the people
themselves will suffer the consequence of
constantly deteriorating transporta ton sys-
tenn ut greater cost than the proposed in
crease would mean. In brief il is not i'm
possible hat the local company, which has
grown hand In hand with Richmond. which
has been part of and partly the cause of
its rapid development. may be compelled to
seek receivership. Street car companies
in other cities. permitting higher fares than
are charged here, have been forced by high
prices and high wages. growing ont OF war
conditions to seek relief in the courts. There
is no reason to believe that may not be the
result here unless help is granted That pros
pect aside, there can be, under present con-
ditions, no betterment of the service, no OK
Richmonds urgent transportation needs
For many months the company's petition
ior the right TO charge scent fare has been
before the city. II was placed in the hands
of the old Council which failed TO act on
1t. SO far the new Council also has failed
10 grant the relief for which the company
pleads. In the meantime, costs of mainte-
nance, essential repairs and operation have
increased steadily until the condition has
become acute and soon may be beyond con-
troll Naturally. thousands of patrons of the
street car company do not wish to see the
cost of their rides increased, but when they
realize that slight increase now NAV pre-
vent worse conditions later, with perhaps n
or ali Scent fare as in many other COM
munities. and in all likelihood save the com
pahy from being thrown into the courts they
may see the problem in different light
mus IL Is Tor their own interest that they
are warned TO assume a more friendly at-
'itude toward the proposed scent fare.
Ii augurs we'll for the future relations be-
tween the company and the people that the
former has named committee on which
are such citizens Coleman Wortham f.
Randolph Williams and w. J. Parrish TO rep
resent it i'll all future negotiations and deal
ngs with them and their official representa-
tives The adoption of this new policy gives
assurance to the company's patrons that their
interests are being looked after and safe
guarded and it should remove whatever ILL
Keeling may have existed toward the com
pahy 1t is assurance that there is to be fair
pa! ana mat the street car company does not
now and will not ask more than these rem
, resentatlve citizens believe to be just and
actually necessary. II is also a sign tina,
Rlchmond is entering its postwar RECONSTRUCT
non period, when public-service corporations
ana the people must work together in closer
sympathy than they ever did before They
are coming 10 understand each other better
ana with that more complete understanding
the Old hostility will disappear 1t means. fur
'her' that the people, through their COM
mittee Is largely taking over the transporta-
ZION system into their own keeping, and will
be responsible for its future effectiveness