The Penn's Grove record., 1920-02-13
Trolley Travel
or Jitney Bus
A Public Meeting Cussed and
Discussed Travel

fifty men at the meeting in the audi
forum of Penns Grove High School
building last Monday evening. The
first business was voting on the money
thought necessary to run Penns
Grove schools for the year July l,
1920, to July l, 1921. The Board of
Education recommended $4,000 which
received the most votes.
Under the auspices of the Chamber
of Commerce the public meeting was
held to discuss the situation of trolley
traffic and jitney bus travel.
The Salem & Penns Grove Traction
Company, whoever the directors, or
principle stockholders, not in this re-
gion, have advertised to sell six troll
Icy cars and have applied to the Pub
lie Utilities Commission to have the
zone fare raised from 5 to 7 cents.
There is one fare to DUPONT Villages,
two to Penns Neck Canal, three to
Pennsville and two more to Salem, a
distance of thirteen miles. Returning,
there are three to Pennsviile and
two more to Penns Grove.
Superintendent H. C. Berry was at
the meeting and announced that the
Company pays 5 per cent. of gross re-
ceipts to the municipalities thru which
the trolley runs; that there was a
deficit of $4,000 in the past six
months; that all the event paid by
persons who ride in jitney buses and
automobiles was need to make the
trolley pay. He did not question the
of jitneys to run nor persons to
ride in them. He did so himself when
it was convenient to do so, but he
thought they should be regulated as
to route, rate and taxation like the
Crolleys, which are run under the SUI
pervision of the Public Utilities Com
mission of the State. He said the
jitneys knew their schedule which was
a car every fifteen minutes. They
started ahead and picked up the pas
sengers. is impossible to please all
matter how the cars are run. If it
does not suit you report to the Public
Utilities Commission.
R. L. Martin, one of the ~jitney-bus
drivers, said that if the trolleys
stopped there would be enough autos
put on to accommodate the people at a
reasonable fare. Many 10 pay 10
and rs cents to jitneys rather than
ride in trolleys because of the accom-
they give. The trolley use
to have a printed and published
schedule to run on, but it has not had
Ior sometime and he questioned
whether any of the travelling public
on what schedule they run. The
litney men do not know.
Others gave instances of the irreg-
ularity, unreliability and lack of cour-
tesies given by the trolleys. Persons
off the steamboats, have ask
ed when the car left and did not get a
civil answer. Several persons have
sat in a waiting oom to go, when
another car has left with not a pas
senger in. Several persons have wait
ed for a trolley, did not take jitneys
when they might have done so, then
walked home a mile along the trolley
track to their home without seeing a
ear. Two and three cars have been
run within a few minutes of each
other and one could not be seen for
than half an hour. One and two
cars have gone by persons waiting
without stopping.
One man said he had heard dis
courteous and vulgar language from
men that he would not want in
his hog pen.
On the other hand it is contended
that less reliance can be had on the
jitneys. They charged high prices be-
fore the trolleys came and do so now
on special occasions.
Frank J. Gaventa, n of the best
posted men on roads in the Borough,
said the license received from the jit-
aeys would not begin to pay the dam
age they did to the streets. He had
heard vulgar language he would not
want in his hog pen. He had also
been disappointed with many others
by not having a trolley after waiting
at the foot of Main Street and had
walked home a mile without meeting
one.
Rev. C. B. Dubell upon invitation
an interesting talk in a general
way. He said he, too, had heard bad
language used by jitney men in the
presence of passengers. He had also
heard the same kind of language used
the trenches.
Edmund ]. Phillips, a believer in the
public ownership of public utilities,
said it might be well to have a finan-
cial statement of the Company before
being scared or bluffed by the an
nouncement of the Company to stop
the trolley cars running. He believed
thew could be run at a profit to the
public when run to accommodate. Ii
not, then for the accommodation of the
public, like the post office. He be-
lieved the people wanted the trolley
and would pay the cost, if they know
what it actually is. The discussion
took in a wide range as to
public ownership of public utilities
and many interesting points were
brought out in public forum on the
question to travel.
The criticism of the trolley was to
show failures to accommodate the
By their corrections there
be less excuses to ride in jitneys.
The wide discussion reminded older
ones of the old-time Town Meeting.