The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-11
FVE-CENT FARES,
SK|P-STOP BAN
ARGUED BY CITY
Experts Put on Stand Before
State Public Utilities Com
mission to Show COnten.
tiOnS Have No Basis.

Following are the claims which the
city of Memphis Is making against the
Memphis Street Railway company In
hearing before the state utilities com.
mission at Nashville:
Adjustment Of the skip. stop system,
Return OF fiVe.cent fares.
Payment of all judgments outstand.
inq against the company instead OF 70
per cent as ruled by Judge John {. Nc.
Call when the corporation went Into
bankruptcy,
The city contends that with such the
car company can make a return OF sew.
en- per cent on their Investment.
NASHVILLE. Tenn. Feb. IL. (Spl)-
That the skip-stop should be abolished
that the street railroad fare in Mem
rhis should be returned to the scent
basis, where the city maintains 1t be.
longs that both these measures could
be put in at once without loss TO the
company we're emphatically placed be-
fore the state public utilities cpmmls-
sion Wednesday by W. T. Armstrong,
city attorney. and Horace johnson,
| commissioner Of public utilities Az
| torney Armstrong adduced what ne
| contendod were many inoongruincies ~
| the statements yesterday by Il ", tut
| wiler and Frank II. Elgin, receivers
| in their testimony before the conimis'
sion ons Tuesday, .-,,,,s....,.,.,,.
Opening for the city Whdnasdas
morning, Armstrong placed hoss W
| Harris. expert. on the stand, Mr. Har-
| ris submitted data showing that the
| company should be able TO reduce the
| fare rate by installation OF system OF
| proper distribution OF service,
| He showed that Mr., Tutwiler's esti-
| mate OF the number OF passengers 10
be carried In 1920. which was iT,oOOooo'
| and below those for 1919, was not ac-
| curate and based upon the January
| records II this year. which show total
| of 1900 600 carried.
| Mr.. Harris made an estimate Of ~, :
| 600, ,00G passengers TO be carried thls
| year This increase in revenue, TO-
cether with n proper distribution ol
| should be made 10 the interest OF
| economy, viii produce sufficient returns
| to enable the return to five-cent fare
| basis.
! city Commissioner Johnson and city
| Electrician Moran went into the qu"i-
! tin OF skip-stop, showing that II was
/ unpopular, that IL was a war measure
| inconvenient and unnecessary. They
! sh owed that so cities which established
! it as war measure have already done
| away with II.
| Cot b. A. Enloe and Geo. y. Welch
| were at the hearing, while Gen, Har'
vey Hanna was absent. as on the pre-
| NlOuS OCCASION NncH the sutFt iaiNh9
case was up, The hearing VIII be con
cluded today and the Memphians viii
return home tonight
| j. n. Perkins, expert, representing
the Memphis street railway, reviewed
the cost Of renewals and replacement
at the Tuesday afternoon hearing be
fore the state utilities committee. T
II, Tutwiler, one OF the receivers. tes
titled az to the increase in city ant
y, county taxes against the corporation
for 1920 over the past year. and callet
attention to the largely increased as
sessment under the recent appraisal b!
the state tax statistican.
Mr.. Tutwiler also told Of the volume
of u ,iness for 1919 showing by th'
conn 1y's books that total Of a.
75s SSE passengers We're handled by tn,
company. declaring that more pcopl
were handled under the scent fare rat
than under the scent rate. He SAT-
this was largely due to the general,
increased traffic during the fall months
Mr. Tutwiltr declared that there wa
little difference IN traffic under the tw
rates. except that on short haus NOR
people walked under the Scent rat
than under the scent.
The company's testimony was con
/ Cluded Tuesday.