Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1920-04-20
CAR SERVICE IS
SUSPENDED and
CARS In BARNS
City Officials Undecided as to
What Steps Will Be Taken
in the Matter

Street railway service between
Brownsville and West Brownsville,
maintained since January, 1916, on
thirty minute schedule, was indefin-
itely suspended at IL o'clock last
night when the last car pulled into
the barn on East Eleventh street
The statement Of the street rail
way management Monday that the
company could not meet the increas-
ed cost of power resulted in instruc-
tions last night by City Manage
George w. Grupe to the power de-
partment TO discontinue furnishing
power service to the company. Power
into the car cOmpany's feed lines will
not be resumed unless the street rall-
way company meets the March hill
Tor power, which is approximately
ten times the amount the company
had been paying for power, accord
ing to statements rendered by the
city To the street railway company.
ID. A. O'Brien, manager Of the
street railway company, intimated
that not only would the company not
pay the $l9,S00 alleged 10 be owing
TO the city because Of erroneous
charges for power, during the four
years of operation, but that the
March account as corrected also
would not be paid This account was
for $450.
The street railway. since il began
operations, had been paying from $40
Ia $50 month for power. Shortly
after taking charge of the city man
ayers office, Mr.. Grupe turned hi;
attention to the light and power
plant, and investigated the situation
with reference to the larger power
users. 1t was found that during the
course OF the past four years. he said, \
large error had been made in the /
charges against the street car com I
pany for use of power, that the 4
charges had been, in fact, one-tenth \
of what they actually were. the error /
being due to the fact that a numeral I
had not been added to the meter \
readings, as required by the special 4
meter used for this purpose.
Asked for statement this morn
ing concerning the street railway |
company's intentions, Mr.. O'Brien
said:
For the first time in it's history \
the Brownsville street car company /
today is making money No one re- !
grets more deeply than | the incon- |
venience the loss of the car service
means to the people, but it is a ply |
sioal impossibility for us to operate
at this increased cost. The cars have
always been operated ut loss, but
we have held on believing that some
day the growth of Brownsville would
justify Us"
With the situation between the
city and the street car company thus
locked, and the time too short for the
formulation of any definite plans as
to the future, city officials could not
say what the next steps in the mat
ter will be-
In the meantime, the loss Of street
car service is causing no little in
convenience to residents of West
Brownsville. many of whom bought
property and built homes in the past
several years because Of the apparent
certainty Of street ear service. While
many of the residents there own au-
tomobiles, many DO not and shese de-
pend mainly on the street ears for
transportation to and from the bus
mess district Another Inconvenience
HIS been the servant question, most
OF the servants employed III that part
Of the city living in the eastern OF
southern sections, too far 10 walk u
and from West Brownsville.
West Brownsville citizens are of
course discussing the situation with
reference TO car service. and many
plans have been suggested for a re-
sumption Of operations. Among
these il one that the city make a deal
with the company for the lease Of the
ears and tracks for period of time.
the city to operate the lines. An
other suggestion is along the same
line. with the additional idea Of tear
ing up the Washington street loop
and using this trackage for an extern
sion TO the Victoria addition. which
would give virtually the entire city
street car service. and besides would
open up additional city property for
improvement by home building.
Mr.. O'Brien stated that employees
of the company will not be summar-
/ ily dismissed, but will be kept on the
payrolls until the first of the month
to give them time to secure. other
jobs.