Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-08-23

II operating under an indeterminate per
nit Therefore. the city especially feels
| that the company now should, by con
! tract, make good these assertions. The
city also feels that the rights and au-
/ thOrity of the city over the car company
should be fixed and determined once and
for all by contract so that there will
not lie continual pickering and travail
from day 10 day. Even though the city g
rights are defined by law, what the city
wants is a practical working agreement
between itself and the company without
the probability Of facing an appeal to
the State public service commission on
any aud every order that the city may
make
Therefore it seems 10 me that If we
are 20 consider the matter Of regulation
OF itney traffic, especially il il is to be
considered at the street car c0mpany's re
quest. and as a means Of eularging the
company receipts, the company shall Mt
the same time consider the city's de
mands and II jitney traffic is regulated
by ordinance In auch a way as to offer
relief 10 the street ear company, this
shall be effected at such time as to com
Pany agrees. in terms. to contract as to
its duties and obligations to the city.
CAN'T COMPETE
WITH JITNEYS.
IS IL is impossible for = street car com
pauy In any city to operate In successful
competition against Unrestricted and un-
regulated titney fbrs traffic. The buses
take the short hauls, which constitutes
the profitable business, and leave the
long and Improbable hauls to the com
pRny. They operate upon car line
streets. often upon pavement paid for ex-
clusiyely by the car company, and in
snowy weather they operate exclusively
on the car tracks after they have been
swept by the car company. In fact with
out regulatory laws their operation. it
seems 10 me, constitutes entirely unfair
competition. and assuming that q street
car company is adequately serving the
community, the unrestricted operation Of
Jitney buses constitutes a real menace to
that communitys welfare
- This does lot mean that car
company should be relieved from meet
Ing fnlr and Legitimate competition. If
a car company's service IS adequate and
Il is meeting just obligations iowa ri
the city. Il is my opinion that while
such adequate service continues md
while the company continues to meet its
obligations toward the city, the CITY
should see to 1t that there Is no jitney
competition on street car lines In nv
estimation that Is the one regulation that
essentially makes fer fair competition.
The other measures OF regulation, such
as a bond, schedules, licenses etc. are
FOR the benefit, convenience aud safety
OF me puohc' generally. Tho provision
restricting Jltneys from street car lines
Is primarily one for the benefit OF the
car company. II buses are allowed on
streets running parallel with car lines.
1t is fair competition end the passenge
may choose the conveyance he prefers
PUBLIC SUFFERS WITH
NO REGULATION.
IS. II is entirely bad for city to allow
unregulated, unrestricted jitney bus
traffic; not only from a standpoint of
unfair competition with its street car
company, but especially from the stand
point OF the public; the city, and the
safety Of the individual
Both Kansas City and Sioux City,
having seen Des Moines as a horrible
example, have avoided making the same
mistakes Kansas City by regulating it's
jitney traffic and Sioux City by ami
hlattng Its jitney cars. We found that
each city had its own peculiar prob
lens, just as has indianapolis. Our chief
popularity is that there is now no con-
tract or working agreement, or basis of
any kind existing between the company
and the city. This, OF course, Is not
true in any of the other cities.
TO serve the public properly It is
necessary in my estimation that the tit
ney bus shall be required to file bond
covering liability for personal injuries, to
follow a definite schedule and a definite
route, to be driven by one who meets
certain requirements as to age and abil-
ity to drive, to pay an adequate license
to the city, and not to be overloaded
In addition to the above, at such time
as the city is guaranteed ADEQUATE car
service and the company, by contract.
agrees to continue to perform those of
its former charter obligations which the
city sees fit to retain, and the city can
be reasonably assured that there win be
no increase In rate of fare, | believe that
Jitney competition, by ordinance. should
be Immediately removed from streets con
tanning car lines.
6. "If, eventually, motor transportation
is to supplant entirely trolley transpor-
tation in the city the jitney or motor
bus has not, as vet, reached the stage of
perfection necessary therefor.
SITUATION PORTENDS
DISASTER TO CITY.
I'm my judgment. the situation in Des
Moines (Which results from a fight be-
tween the street car interests on one
hand and the Jitney bus and other inter
eSts on the other is deplorable, and is
one of the worst conditions which could
befall any American city. 1t involves a
complete breaking down of transporta-
ton facilities in that city, falling off of
practically 90 per cent in retail sales, the
unemployment in thousands of families
and a situation generally which especially
fOrecloses the city from attracting either
capital or industry. The stopping OF the
street cars Aug. 3. threw between 1000
and 800 men out OF employment who
were directly connected with the street
car company. and. Of course, was indi-
rectly instrumental in depriving thou
sands OF other men and families of their
employment.
THE city of Des Moines has now sixty
one buses attempting to carry some
10000 passengers to and from their va
rious homes and places Of business. which
number Is far inadequate to carry even
one-half of the traffic-possibly not one
third. These are only the Immediate
disaster following the suspension Of car
service.
'In my estimation the visitation upon
Indians mills of SIIrh a cOndift0n axirtc