The Penn's Grove record., 1920-11-12
By Henry Hurguy
Continued from last weekly
Look For Compromise

Many were of the opinion that the
company was "bluffing' and had no
intention of discontinuing operation in
Bridgeport. They saw in the ulti-
matum merely a club to force the city
authorities to drive the jitneys from
the streets. In spite of repeated
statements that the company was in
earnest and meant what it said, there
was a general belief that some COM
promise would be brought about to
pervent the withdrawal of the trolleys.
1t was otherwise, however, with the
jitneurs, who welcomed the threaten
ed suspension of trolley service with
shouts of glee and promises of what
they could do in the way of serving
the public. Should the company go
through with it's decision, the jitney
would have the field to itself free from
competition. Here was the chance to
prove their contention that they could
adequately transport the riding public
of a large city.
Jitneys Strongly Organized
1t is necessary to understand that
the jitneys were blessed with a strong
organization in Bridgeport. They were
further blessed with excellent leader
ship. The oliver" of earlier days
had given way to large motor buses,
seating from twelve to eighteen pas
sengers. The greater number were
owned by individuals and driven by
their owners, but there had grown up
an almost perfect organization which
bound them strongly together.
The leader of the %jitneurs was
John l.. Swartz, a Jew born in Aus
tria, who early in his connection with
B~ridgeport's jitneys displayed truly
remarkable shrewdness and talent for
organizing and handling men. He
had to possess these qualities to WELD
the influence he did over 500 or more
men of the type which drove jitneys
in Bridgeport.
Schwartz once worked as a me-
chanic in a Bridgeport factory, but
started to drive a jitney in 1915. Soon
he saw the jitneys must closely CO.
operate if they were to have any
chance of holding their w against
the trolley. He organized the Bridge
port Bus Owners Protective Associa-
ton, and later organized the jitney
men of the entire State of Connecti-
cut.
All Pull Together
1t was due to the leadership of
Schwartz that the jitney men dropped
the policy of each man for himself
and knit themselves together into a
strong organization under which they
alternated on the best paying routes,
attempted to run On regular sched-
ules, employed inspectors and start
ers, and altogether furnished what is
probably the best jitney service any
city has ever experienced. Later there
were other jitney organizations, but
they worked tremendously together
with Schwartz virtually in command
of all.
While others scoffed at the COM
pany's notice that service would be
discontinued, Schwartz saw the oppors
tuntiy afforded the jitney to prove its
case, and busted himself with issuing
statements to the public that the jit-
neys would be equal to the situation
when the trolleys disappeared.
However, the city authorities were
not altogether prepared to see a troll
leyless city. Neither was the Cham
Der of Commerce entirely certain that
a jitney monopoly would be for the
best interest of the city. The public
at large was willing to exercise the
great American tendency to try m
thing new and take a chance on the
jitney making good, and this senti-
ment prevailed especially among the
workers in the factories.
Under the State laws, the city au-
thorities have the power of prescrib-
ing routes on which the jitneys should
run. A special meeting of the City
Council was called for the evening of
July IL, three days before the date
set by the company for withdrawal of
its cars. A meeting of the Chamber
of Commerce was called for the same
evening.
Expert Makes Report
In the meantime the Chamber of
Commerce had employed Walter Jack
son, well known as an expert on mo
tor bus operation, to make an investi-
cation and report con the most salts
factory and economical method of
mass transportation" When the
Chamber met MI. Jackson gave a
summary of the facts contained in his
detailed report. He said existing bus
service followed, with few exceptions,
the same routes as the electric cars,
and the jitneys were carrying from so
to 60 percent. of all the traffic. Nj.
Jackson said he had made a thorough
study of bus operation in many of the
larger cities and had included the fol-
lowing facts in his report:
Leading bus men and dealers
themselves realize that a city like
Bridgeport could not possibly de-
pend upon the present haphazard
individual-ownership scheme for
reliable and economical bus trans
portation.
1t would appear from expert
ence that when all costs really
are taken into account, an organ
lied company cannot make a go
of low-fare bus operation.