Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-10-09

IHE RAILROADS. CHALLENGE.


over the control of the railroads
Perth Amboy, where Pennsylvania
and Central trains stop at the same
station, has enjoyed the privilege Of
having the tickets Of both roads
honored on the trains of either COM
pany. Official notice has now been
issued that, beginning November 5,
this practice is to be discontinued.
After that late Pennsylvania tickets
will be good only on Pennsylvania
trains and Central tickets will be &C
cepted only on Central trains.
Perth Amboy is the only station
used by both companies on the whole
Long Branch division where the
tickets of one company is not ac-
ceptable on the trains of the other
company. why should this city be
disseminated against in this man
HGT we are ld1itiitdl nith Nht Oit
explanation hat all the stations
south of us are controlled by what,
In railroad circles, is known as the
New York & Long Branch railroad
whereas the station In this city is
exclusively the property of the Cen
al railroad. The fact remains, how
ever, If the two railroad companies
can make satisfactory arrangements
between themselves whereby the
tickets of one company are accept
able on rains of the other company
FOR some of the stations along the
line where the same station is used
BY both roads, such an arrangement
ought to be possible for all the sta
tions used by both companies. Why
yingle out Perth Amboy to discrimi-
nate against?
There has been a great deal of
sympathy for the railroads In the
past. The tendency has been to go
easy with them, especially now that
they have just been returned to their
private control, so as to allow them
to get back on their feet once more.
We have suffered all kinds of freight
delays and e~mbargoes; We have put
up with passenger trains running
anywhere from thirty to fifty
minutes late day after day: we have
allowed our crossings to be blocked
from fifteen to twenty minutes at a
time; we have submitted to the
smoke nuisance from the locomotives
and the continuous blowing of
whistles as the trains pass through
the city, especially at night; we have
suffered the humiliation of a pest
hole for a railroad station-a place
utterly unfit for a decent man or
woman to enter-and, on top of 1t
all, we have paid without complaint
a constantly increasing fare for a
service that has grown worse about
as fast as the fare has been raised.
All these thing W. have submitted
to because of u desire to
do our part in helping the railroads.
But what thanks do we get? We
ind hat instead of appreciation on
the part of the railroad companies,
they are putting the screws on hard
or and harder in the same old cold
blooded, merciless way they did I'M
der the old corporation control. In
stead of sympathy and cooperation
on the part of the public. apparent
", it is a,case of fight and fight hard
IS of old.
Does Perth Amboy accept the
challenge? She does.
This city of owe forty thousand
people with its great industries Is
ane of the best paying stations thai
sither the Pennsylvania or Contra
railroad has in all New Jersey,
Both these railroads derive an enor-
nous income from Perth Amboy In
the freight handled here. Yet the
atty, as far as service goes, especially
passenger service. is given no con-
sideration whatever.
We are tired of being jellied alena
by the officials higher up when they
have c~opdeseended to take any
notice of US at all. 1t Is about tins
for Perth Amboy merchants ane
manufacturers to get together ant
90 to the railroad companies and de
mand some real consideration. L
,ome of the big shippers would pu'
1 up to the railroad companies aiont
he line that DR.. William p. Cant
veil, of st. Mary's church, outlined
at the recent Chamber Of commere'
dinner we might get some results. i
is not sympathy or cooperation tina
the railroads passing through Peril
Amboy want. They are not going L
cooperate with the people OF TIM
city. All the railroads want is oul
money. giving as little in return a
possible, Perth Analogy has got Il
sat for what she sets in the way q