El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-01-04
TO SKIP Or NOT
SKIP, IS QUERY
Street Car Companies Have
To Fight To Keep Skip
Stops System Now.

which IS apt 70 be duplicated In
nearly every large city OF the coun-
Try. The question IS whether the
ubiquitous skip stop" system Of the
trolly lines shall continue now that
demands on fuel have so diminished.
During the war, skip stops were
instituted IN nearly every city OF the
country with more than $4,000 popu-
lation. The idea was adopted also by
q number OF suburban and interurban
electric lines.
Each time an electric car is stopped
and started Il consumes an enormous
amount Of electricity. 70 produce
which much fuel must be burned By
stopping and starting the cars only
every other block, quite q tidy saw
ing Is Effected
when the big tax on the power
uroducfuE plants OF our Industrial
centsrs came, the fuel administration
discovered" the skip stop idea, and
encouraged its adoption throughout
the country There are, however, a
number OF persons who refuse to give
the fuel administration credit for the
skip stops. saying that a few. suave
traction magustes had the plan up
their sleeves for a long time, but
we're hesitant about testing II on
their respective publics. until the war
gave them patriotic excuse.
Although Philadelphia IS undoubt-
edlT the greatest ma1ufa curing cen
Ter Of the nation. and hence the
grszteHt consumer OF fuel. the skip
stop system was not rescrted to IN
I'll midsummer Of last year. II was
established then at the command Of
he state fuel administrator. De-
mauds on the dynamos OF the Phtla-
delphia Electric company. which sup
piled current TO the Philadelphia
Rapid Transit company and 10 most
Of the zhipyards. steel plants shell
factories and rifle works clustered
about the city. made such a move
Imperative 1T is a choice" said the
euEfueers who we're graphing with
the problem. between skip stops and
putting severe restrictions O. the con-
sumption OF current by householders-
So the Rapid Transit company in
stituted skip stops on all OF its lines.
The plan was a little different from
that followed IN most cities The
sldps were not effective downtown
because the congestion Of traffic IN
the business section Is such as to rem
der 90 Impossible not TO admit and
DISCHARGE passengers at every cross
Ing RcuEhlv- the skips were con-
fined 10 the districts outside a nile
and q half radius from Independence /
habitat IS. TO about seven eights
a. al Philadel Dhia- Now blocks are
long in the residential section. and I
the further one gets into It, the
longer the blocks become
BY the time skip stops had been S.
rablished in Philadelphia, five things
had 70 be noticed First. that the |
saving Of many thousand dollars /
worth Of fuel had been achieved: sec !
ond- that the trolley cars completed /
their schedules in much shorter time: /
third that the percentage OF street /
car accidents had taken a consider /
able Increase fourth, that the work /
rlE population was doing more walk /
Ing than ever before fifth, that the I
Rapid Transit company was inter 4
es1ed IN making skip stops a perma- /
ueut Institution
With peace. OF course. has come a /
slowing Up Of Industrial Philadelphia 4
Most Of the war plants had made /
prepare tons for the advent OF peace i
and they have slipped quietly into ]
-hefr new program Coal Is still i
scarce. but il is not being burned 50 4
rapidly. There IS no fuel problem
n the proportions there would have
been had the war continued That I
was why. some weeks ago. admins
traitor Potter Informed the city that
80 Tar IS ne and the fuel admiuistra-
ton was concerned, skip stops might
be abolished at once.
This was hailed joyfulIy BY the
newspapers as one OF the less re-
uoWned blessings OF peace It meant
they said. fewer drenchings. fewer Z
pay bookings and fewer killed on the
War TO market As a war measure
the city. would put up with skip stops
gladly, but now Il was little short OF
sinful TO continue them. seeing the
damage ehey had done. VIII II be
tomorrow. they asked. OF next day
that the Transit company viii order
its motormen 70 stop at every cor
ner2
Company on Defensive.
But in the meantime a reporter
had seen one OF the companT's Off
Gals and got from him a statement
50 sure the skips ought 70 be abo1-
isEed. nor W1s he quite sure that the
people wanted them TO be.
Then the storm broke. -Four pow
charging that the traction gang"
lad taken advantage OF the city's pa
tri0dsm 10 put something over on It
one Newspaper sided with the COM
1zuy, While the rest maintained an
altitude o. critical neutrality The
company Indignantly denied the !
charges. and said Il had demonstrate
"a its patriotism By not pushing the
increased fare Issue, even when there !
was ample justification. II pointed /
ont that with no sign OF a letup in |
tae overhead cost Of operation the !
fire cent fare rate couldn't hold out 4
forever. unless some sort Of retrench-
meut was made Anyway, Il claimed
most OF the people were in favor Of
Ekip stops. and anxious TO keep them.
Inc auriskip newspapers did not
derry that skip stops would save more
than s1.0oo. coo yearly. as the transit /
officials claimed, but expressed con-
fdeu1e That the passenger would get
none OF IT. They played Up" the in
crease IN deaths from accidents at
street crossings. and each fresh ac-
-ident was given front page display
with appropriate headlines
The Transit company then an
bounced that the passengers them
selves shan finally decide whether
skip stops are TO 20 or 10 remain
they have appointed a committee Of
- 20 decide whether the temper Of
the public IS favorable or unfavor-
able. II WIN make its decision some
tine this month
Campaign WaEed.
Meantime. both the company and
re- opponents are carrying on active
biologist to say that the increase in
street crossing accidents was due TO
IN epidemic OF the psychosis OF war
time recklessnesss rather than TO
skip stops II Eave-this fact 70 its
passengers by means Of bulletins
posted in the cars, and followed Il
Tlth others Fresh bulletins are now
lsing added under the SLOGAN Know
he Truth and the Truth Shall Make
Tou Free"
What is happening IN Philadelphia
r likely TO be repeated all over the
'oultrr- As previously stated the
kip stop has become almost unfver-
al but there IS considerable agita-
ion afnot 70 make e extinct with
lhiialelnhia rs q radiatinE center
ne AZ tlon is Spreading throughout !
he east In Scranton IL has already /
eeulted in the abandonment OF the !