The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-10-23
Public Utilities
Board CritiCiZcS
The Legislature
Statement About I'm
fair Burden" Refers
to Burden Which the
Legislature Refused to
Remove - Increased
Fare May Cost the
, People Of the State
$1O,OOO,OOO in a Year.

The announcement by the Public
Utilities Commission that it had grant
led the request of the Connecticut
Company for an increase in fare to
ten cents on the old five cent zones
was no great surprise to Bridgeport
ers, for The Times had prophesied
that would be the action. The only
was the guessing on how many more
people would use the jitneys.
But in the decision itself there was
one thing that caused a great deal of
says, provided there had been no
,, unfair burdens resting on the com
bnids bany IN ah1;1le+- the nature Of paving and
would have been no need for petit
ton to increase the rate.''
Since the last legislature had before
1t the matter of removing this So
called unjust burden from the trolley
company and had refused to do SO
UhHtles Commission intended to crit
lc1se the Legislature in that statement
ana ana others ventured the opinion that
the Public Utilities Commission was
In contempt of the Legislature.
Some of the statisticians who are
f1gurlng out the number of riders in
Gay said today that probably 100000
people ride two ways every day in the
state. That would represent an in
creased outlay the part of the peo
pie of the state on nearly $10,00o,O0O
In year.
But on the other hand many be-
neVe that there will be such failing
on IN the riding on the trolley cars
that the company will have to ask re-
dress from the Legislature.
vember first.
. Inquiry at the offices of the Bus asso-
, citation today as to the effect on the
| transportation situation here of the
, ruling of the Public Utilities Com
Company to raise fares to a ten cent
basis, brought forth the reply that
the buses would continue to improve
and expand their service and that
, | there would be no increase in the
fares on the jitneys.
The officials of the Bus associations
believed that the jitneys would have
5 a greatly increased patronage because
l had shown in the past that they
l would not ride in any great numbers
on a seven cent fare basis and it was
evident that fewer would ride on the
| cents.
The jitneys, they said, were in bet
ter shape now to handle the traffic
than they were when the Connecticut
Company went on a. strike last July.
New buses had been purchased and
more were coming in a short time.
1 The Bus officials, however, thought
that the aldermen should revoke the
|
3 routes so that they could better ac-
comm modate the increased patronage
that would now come to the jitneys.
1 They said that the public would be
much better served and satisfied if
the buses were allowed to use the old
, routes and would make an attempt to
have the aldermen change the ordi-
q nance so that they could use those
routes.
> Provided there had been no unfair
\ burdens resting on the company, in
the nature of paving and bridge OBJ
legations, and had it not, for the past
five years, been confronted with the
D sunregulated public service automo-
? bile which uses the pavement paid
for by the company, we believe there
9 would have been no need of a petit
Q ton to increase the rate to ten cents
o at this time.
Taking into consideration all the
. facts connected with the case, and
q the present unsettled condition of
a street railways in this state, we are
of the opinion that, pending the fin
al investigation an and report report of this this
possible Legislative action thereon,
!. the fiat ten-cent far asked for by
!, the company, based on the original
ed as just and reasonable maximum
> rates and charges at this time. D
v In his dissenting opinion Commis-
! sioner EIwell says:
q 1t is true tnaI the cost OF laDOr anu
$ material has doubled in the last few
years and that the value of the dollar
= has deprecated. and provided as
many people use the trolley as former
1y, paying even a higher rate than 10
cents, the company would not for a
long period be able to pay its debts,
leaving the matter of dividends out
of the question entirely. Under
| present conditions and with unfair
jitney competition an increase in
| rate to 10 cents would result in de-
| creased trolley riding and greater
use of the privately owned and the
l competing public service automobile;
t (Continued on Page Six)
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