The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-07-19

1 Aloermen Beers, stone, Reynolds, l Mccormick and Caldwell were nam ed by the Board of Aldermen last 1 night to handle the city'S interests in ! the trolley-jitney controversy. The l will communicate at once with the 1 Public Utilities Commission with a request for rehearing on the Con necticut avenue-Ash Creek and North and South Main strets lines.
 Mayor Wilson in a message to the board last night severely criticized the Connecticut Company, strongly urging the retention of jitneys the reduction of the trolley fare. Tt is unfair to the people of the state to compel them to pay ex6rbi- tant rates for transportation in order to bolster a bankrupt road" he said T believe that the best interests of all require that the Conn necticut Com pany should. if it cannot operate un- der a reasonable rate of fare under present conditions, be forced into the hands of a receiver, the same as any other business concern or com rne.cfa1 enterprise"
 Several resolutions were introduce ed at the meeting, but were all in corporated into one before being of fered to the board for a. vote The resolutions provided for a rehearing on the Ash Creek and North Main street lines; a reheartng to grant ad- dftfonat permits; the appointment of a committee to communicate with the commission, and that the city at-
 
 Ito the support of titneymen.
 All of the resolutions were unani- mously passed.
 Mayor Wilson's message which he delivered to the board follows in full:
 The Mayors Message.
 gro the Honorable Common Council
 of the City of Bridgeport
 'Gentlemen:
 Under the ruling passed by the Genera Assembly of 1921, the Public Utilities Commission has held hear ings and has rendered decisions seri- ously affecting our means of transpor- tadon- Large numbers of our motor buses which have heretofore operat- ed in and upon our streets under reg ulations laid down by your honora bIe body, have been forced to discontinue on account of such rulings. Our pri- mary concern is to see that a suitable system of transportation, at as low a rate as possible, be provided for the convenience of our citizens As I'll have repeatedly said. I believe the transportation system to be just as eVoluuonary today as ever. and that ley now operating upon arbitrary lines of track, just as surely as the trolley succeeded the horsedrawn car.
 T fear. however. that the recent rulings of the Public Utilities Com mission will cause great hardship and unnecessary expense to the travelling public. The Connecticut comDany has constantly insisted in its appeal to the Public Utilities Commission for increased fares, that their claims were based on what they termed truinous competition of the unregulated mo- tor bus. If this contention be true then in my opinion, the Public Utii- ties Commission in granting the Con nectlcut company practically monopo- listic rights, should insist at the same fo al, Connecticut company should be re- duced to the former rate, namely five cents, without reference to zones or artificial divisions, except as existed before rates were increased by them.
 I have said on other occasions that 1 in the absence of an unfranchised, properly regulated and controlled motor bus corporation. the city of Bridgeport needs the trolley car: but by this do not mean that the trolley | company hould be permitted to oper- ate at an eSorbitant rate of fare and | to the utter exclusion of motor buses In this almost unprecedented state of | industrial depression, it should be our | ann and purpose to use every effort | to secure an adequate and reasonable method of transportation.
 Even the officials of the Connectf- | cut company themselves stated many | times that in their opinion motor buses should be used in a compliment | tary way with the trolley car but this 1 ruling of the Public Utilities Commits sion Isrecludes this. The great mass of our travelling public I believe pre- | fer even the present inconvenient mo- | tor bus at a five cent fare to the troI- ley service at ten cents. |
 ''The Connecticut company has in tIrhated that it intended to purchase and operate motor buses in conjunc- ton with it's trolley system In view Of the fact, however, that said com pany owes the state a great deal of | money for back taxes, and have failed to keep up their portion of the road way as required by statute, I cannot see where the money is to come from with which they propose to purchase such motor buses.
 ., T really feel that the governor of the state should demand an fnvesti-