Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-06-05

TRoLLEYs AND JITNEYS.

halfway company III It's lHJuhCbioh
proceedings against the many bus lines
that have been established In direct
competition with the trolley. cannot be
denied. The busses have decidedly ar
unfair advantage. The trolley com.
pany is laboring under a heavy handi-
cap. 1t must be admitted, however
that the Public Service has little oil
no sympathy from the public In the
situation in which 1t finds itself and
for this 1t has only itself to blame.
1t is true that the trolley company
represents an enormous investment in
Guiding its right of way. its poles.
wires and tracks, Its power houses
and cars whereas the bus operators
have only the single vehicle to buy,
the public furnishing the right of way
and keeping it in repair-or is sup
posed to.
The franchises granted the trolley
have been secured at more
or less expense. Various rights and
privileges have had to be granted In
order to secure permission to use the
public streets and highways. On the
other hand the BUS operators are not
required to secure q franchise in order
to operate their cars.
The trolley company must pave
parts of streets occupied by the rail-
way and keep the pavement in re-
pair at the company's expense, where
as all the bus owners do is to help
wear out the streets-including that
portion paved at the trolley company's
expense-assuming no responsibility
whatever for the upkeep of the high
way.
On all its property, Including its
hundreds of cars. carbarns. power
houses rails, wire and other equip
ment, as we'll as the franchise itself,
the trolley company is taxed heavily.
The bus owner pays merely a. small
tax on his bus. according to the Sec
ond-hand value of the machine. In
addition the bus owner pays a small
license fee that is comparatively in
significant.
Both the trolleys and the BUSES are
required to pay the municipalities in
which they operate a percentage of
their gross receipts. But 1t is far
easier to keep tabs on the gross re-
ceipts of a trolley line thai 1t is to
keep track of the gross receipts of a
bus, consequently, the collection of
this sum is more certain from the
trolley than from the buses.
Besides, a trolley line properly op-
Grated Is of far more value to a COM
more permanency in a trolley. Once
Its tracks are laid. its wires strung
and its powerhouse is in operation a
trolley line becomes a fixture. Terri
tory through which il run can be de-
veloped with the assurance of What
is supposed to be adequate transporta-
ton. The trolley line represents much
capital invested; there is something
substantial behind 1t. 1t is incorporat-
ed and is subjected to severe and con-
slant regulation by the state.
But almost anybody can start a bus
line, operate it as long as it is felt to
be a paying proposition n then
abandon 1t at any time the owner
feels he can make more money by
taking his bus somewhere else to run.
There were Illustrations of this dur
ing the street car strike in Brooklyn
notE, very long ago. Some bus routes
doned over night while the buses
were rushed INTO Brooklyn to reap the
harvest in transporting the thousands
of stranded passengers. Persons who
had come to depend pm busses for
transportation and who located in GER
tain sections on the strength of bus
transportation suddenly found them
selves isolated.
But busses are being more n more
regulated. Municipalities where they
operate are establishing certain rules
and appointing inspectors to see that
the rules are obeyed. Here again.
however. the bus owner has the ad-
vantage over the trolley company. The
trolley company must hire Its own in
spectors and starters. paying the sal
aries of these men out of its own in
come. whereas the bus owner finds this
expense borne by the municipality, the
bus inspectors and starters being mu-
nicipal employees.
In fact. there is every reason why
the trolley is TO be preferred to the
bus except for the service rendered.
Here is where the trolley company has
been its own worst enemy in alienat-
ing public favor and public confidence.
In the first place, the trolley COM
pany. especially the Public Service
assumed a most defiant attitude. For
q time not so many years ago. 1t prac-
tically controlled the state and could
easily laugh at the people. Certain