The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-09-09
Frederic Haskin's Letter
Bus Versus Street Car.

when the courts granted permis-
sion TO run the cars into the barns
4 and suspend service.
1t is an undeniahle fact that has
Moines was seriously hurt BY wax.
/ ing up and finding itself without
/ street cars. The merchants who
had been Indifferent to the fmpend-
| ing change in the methods Of trans
] portation about the city took a de-
| cided stand as soon as thew found
: out that arteries of commerce wers
blocked, and that people could nor
get to their stores readily IN mall,
purchases. They appealed to the cirv
, council to restore the street car
service after a very few DAYS of oh
serving the new conditions.
The original so buses were SIM
plemented by about % more. hrt
this was not a drop in the bucket
The congestion seemed to be as had
as ever before At the end of >
week, a canvass was taken amopg
the employees and officials of sew
eral plants and offices in Das
Molnes,r the question put being
whether they wanted the street car
service back again. The result of
this vote showed 1922 in favor Of
restoration of the street car service
and only ASS opposed.
The city officials were somewhat
amazed that some financially stronr
Jus company did not come TO il with
some sort of proposition to handle
the city's traffic. 1t was expected
that there would be a number of
applications for the service. II was
found, though, that all sorts of stip-
ulauOnS were made even by bins
operators of the "fy-by-night"
variety. Some wanted a guarantee
that they would be allowed TO oper-
ate for at least a year without com
petition from the street cars being
resumed.
Street Cars Did Not Pay.
The direct cause of the suspen-
sion of the street cars was that
the charter limited the companies
to collecting a scent care. The
company went into the hands of a
receiver because of this, and the
receiver found that the COMPANY
was losing about $4,000 a year. So.
after securing the courts perris-
sion, the receiver shut down the ex-
oenslVe property, and left the peo-
Die OF Des Moines to walk or take
he bus, if they could get into one
he busses, which had been Charg-
ng cents as fare, in some cases 4
'oosted the price almost Immediate
Y to 10 cents, and some instances
we're recorded where the fare for
IL
ents. This was done when Il was
ound that there was more than
nough traffic to keep the buses
ull and moving all the time, almost
egardless of the fare charged.
The newspapers, some of which
ad been open to conviction on the
ubJect, all printed stories of the
reakdown of the attempt to handle
ne city's traffic by bussess.
Inc gravity of the situation viii
e mucR increased when winter
ONES on. 1t is far easier to hac-
lie crowds when walking is DOS
IDLE and the streets are clear. than
VIII be when there is snow.
nth no adequate provision for
tearing 1t away. The buses can
OF be expected to buck snowdrifts
the streets along which they
perate, and at the same time get
eople downtown in the morning
nd back home at night. The ex-
just made was during
Tree weeks when the weather was
arm and clear, rain falling N
lly one day during the first three
eeks after the cars stopped run
ign.
One newspaper sent a reporter :
1t to interview Des Moines people
random about how they got
'wntown. Il rode on the handle
IRIS of a friends bicycle" one high
'hool girl said; 81 walked" sew
al replied; Il rode on top Of a
-rnlture van with about 80 other
sople," one girl answered, and one
an made this possibly ungallant
1t undoubtedly true response. Il
de in bus and a big fat woman
led to get out and pushed half CT
out with her"