Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-04-13
SKIP STOP'PLAN
HEARING BEGUN
here YESTERAY
Motormen and Conductors
Testifying Before State
Railway Commissioner
Here Voice Approval.

tenn was voiced by a number Of mo.
tormen and conductors OF the Oma-
-ha & Council Bluffs Street Railway
company at the hearing yesterday
morning before State Railway Com
missioner Wilson in the Douglas
county court room.
The men were headed by ]. F.
Mcmillan, business agent for the
s union. who took leading part in
the strike last November
I want you to understand that we
came down here of our own accord
and not at the solicitation of the
company" said w. q. Blake, mo-
terman, in the employ Of the COM.
parry for nearly 80 years.
I'VE men also have families who
use the street cars. In my own
family alone we spend about 40 cents
day in street car fare. We are in
tcrested in having the cars run with
the greatest comfort, speed and
safety to the people in the cars and
on the streets.
Going back to the I'D system OF
stepping at every street would be
like going back to wooden shoes
Means More CONTEXT.
"A car such as | operate weighs
about 10000 pounds. Stopping and
starting the car suddenly, as was
necessary under the old system, gave
the passengers hard jolts and fire.,
qucntly knocked out car. When
car was Knocked out it meant that
people had to be transferred to an
other car and that. they arrived at
tteir destinations late. Under the
sllip-stop have never had car
Knocked out ! can make Is stops
ii, trip with more comfort TO the
passengers than can make SO stops .
I'VE make the run on my line.
from Benson to Albright in seven
I,,inutes less time than we did un
der the old system, another bene-
fit to the pas sengers.
S. i am here representing abou
Ns1,000 families among the employees
OF the street railway company, !
absolutely know that the skip stop
system is big advantage to every
body concerned. 1t saves time.
. saves accidents, saves discomfort to
the passengers. And the only pos
sihle disadvantage that can be sug-
gested is tina. some people have to
walk an extra block to get on the
car"
What is the sentiment of the
public so far as you have heard it?"
asked Commissioner Wilson.
Il know that sentiment just as
yoa~ know the sentiment OF the
people VIXEN election time comes
along" sad Mr.. Blake, The au-
: dience lsa.saed at this and SO did
Nj. w aon
81 know it just as people have
I talked 20 me-" continued Mr.. Blake.
The people who object are those
who ike right on the car line and
could formerly see the car coming
the window and could ruin
= out and catch it. The people who
Y live off of the car line, according
: &c my observation, 40 not object
: t. having to walk an extra block"
8 "How does the skip stops affect
: the. number of accidents?"
( 1T has lowered them from SO to
: rs per cent, ! believe, Formerly
q we made so many stops, that
Z scnicies had to stop back ofNthe car
-s~and couldn't get past before we were
stopping at the next block, So they
got in the habit of cutting past on
4 the left side OF the car. used to
SEE them crash into cars coming the
other way. crash into vehicles COM
ing the other way, run over people
reing around the front of the car.
This has been almost eliminated.
4. Motto, safety First"
- Our motto is safety first and the
4, skip stop is the greatest step toward
safety that has been taken in all the
time that have been on the cars.
The street railway employees are
specifically all for it and the worS~
I. iinp people of the city are in ma.
jority in favor OF continuing it, from
, my observation
-. j. r, McMillan's testimony was TO
I the same effect. Besides being bust
y siless agent of the union, he is a con-
ductor on the North Twenty fourth
: -rstreet line.
"We are here of our own accord
because we know absolutely that the
skip-stop system is a.good thing tor
all concerned he said. This is
u our business and we have had the
= opportunity to observe the effect OF
- the skip stop. Ii increases the com.
fort OF the passengers. decreases the
- liability of accident, carries the peo-
- PIE faster and decreases the chance
~ OF car breaking down.
ut helps the vehicle traffic also
BY giving vehicles chance to pass
car between stops instead Of being
Id I'D by the car stopping at every
block"
sv Joseph >,Thirkel. a motorman on
the Florence line, declared that more
and more people are coming to like
NJ the skip-stop system.
2, MANY were opposed to it at first
bre1uNe it was new, ! think" he
said. But now more and more are
z coming to like it."
City Commissioner Testifies.
- City Commissioner Zimman was
4 present and declared himself in
N favor of the skip-stop.
80 ~ was against it at first" he said,
~ but after observing how it works,
| believe it is great convenience
= to the public and that the people, in
~ time, wilr see it so. ! would sug-
- gest that on Sundays the cars be
II stopped in front of all churches on
their runs during the hours when
people are going to or coming from
church."
- City Commissioner Butler had a
z number OF letters Of protest agains,
the skip stop which he presented to
Commissioner Wilson. He said he