The Connecticut labor news., 1921-07-15
OUSTING OF UTNEY
NOT INTENDED BY
ORGANIZED LABOR
Bill Presented Asked Only Proper
Regulation Not Confscation
as Resulted.

Although Organized Labor in Con-
necticut offered and backed up the bill
regulating jtney service within the
state, under which bill as it came changed
somewhat from the legislative commit
tee the Public Utilities Commission has
taken advantage of an opportunity ''to
regulate them out of business" Labor's
purpose was not to destroy competition
with the trolley and therefore a large
number OF organized workers about the
state resent the arbitrary and as thev
believe, uncalled for action of the utili-
ties commission. The jitneys not only
afforded them speedier means of trans
portatlon and more frequent service, but
a cheaper rate of fare. The announce
ment OF the trolley company that it does
not intend to reduce its fares not even
on jitney lines it may establish, does not
add to the peace of mind of the work.
ers either.
The bill to regulate the jitneys was
presented by Senator James H. Mac
donald of New Haven at the request
of |. NJ. Ornburn, secretary of the C..
+. OF L., acting in con- junction with the
trolleymen's unions. Mr.. Ornburn and
number of other Labor leaders spoke
in favor of it at Hartford, but made it
plain the purpose of it was to insist that
the jitneys be regulated as to routes and
hours, the same as the trolley company,
and not permitted to reap the cream
in rush hours and allow the trolley COM
pany to take the loss in dull times.
When the bill came out of committee,
however, its wording was changed and
loopholes made whereby the Utilities
Commission is given sole powers to con-
denim the jitneys, which they have prac-
tically done, the few instances of where
jitney lines have been allowed, being
nothing more than lines that the Con-
necticut Company didn't want to bother
with.
One of the main reasons the trolley
company officials gave for its request to
institute a ten-cent fiat fare, was to in
crease its revenues which were being
greatly cut into by the jitney cornpeti-
ton. High costs of labor was another
reason given and now the company is
endeavOring to reduce the pay of its
employees Is per cent Or more. Yet the
road, despite the removal of the jitneys
and the possible reduction in pay of the
workers, blandly declares that it does
not intend to reduce fares, but will ac-
tually raise them to ten cents on lines
Oh JlllleyS " DC llSlllutSu ny llIe COlll-
pany.
The jitneys were a source of great
convenience to workers of all classes
By them they were able to go home for
lunch at the noon hour at cost of II
cents, matter impossible under the
slow moving trolley cars which would
also cost them at least 20 cents.
That the action of the utilities COM
mission in ruling out the jitneys was
more than anticipated by the trolley
company and state officials is evident.
The state motor vehicle department had
new and distinctive markers already,
while the trolley company had several
large busses ready to put on two lines
established here today. The significant
fact is that the trolley busses got the.
markers yesterday while those few other
jitney lines granted rights, have not
gotten them yet. The latter, however,
has been the means of holding up their
arrests for day or two and will allow
a decision on the application for an IN
junction made yesterday.
The whole thing is disgusting to the
public at large but as usual the public
is helpless as the jitneymen will be un-
less the courts should decide the law I'M
constitutional as it stands, as the jltney-
men claim