The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-07
CAR FARE PROPOSITION
 FINDS NO FRIENDS
Salvation of Company In Com petition With Jitneys, Ma iority Say, Lies In Return
 to Five-Cent Rate

<AlAlAOob anu uI01lAAllOOo disapproval is expressed by citizens on the proposed eight-cent street car fare.
 To Bessemer residents it means lit orally 50 cents a round trip.
 That the jitneys are modern and do ing good work is the general opinion expressed. Many think the street car company's salvation lies in 5-cent fares.
 Views expressed yesterday by num- Der of citizens who discussed the sub ject are as follows:
 W. M. Lindsay said: "An Scent fare would simply be an outrage and would not get the company anything. because it would stir up more feeling and make more people use the jitneys. It might even lead to new jitney lines running between more distant points.
 My belief Is that the salvation of the car company lies In reducing the car fare to cents. That will come nearer driving out the jitney than anything else am not for the jitneys, because they are an uncertain service. Let the car company put on a 5-cent carfare repair more of its cars, stop some of the unnecessary noise that they make, and show an earnest desire to serve the people at the lowest possible cost That is their opportunity. An Scent carfare would be suicidal"
 T. D. Jackson said: T am for the car company, because 1t pays heavily to do business and has large inves tment placed for service But the Scent car fare would not serve the purpose for which intended.
 T believe 1t would multiply Jitneys and create a lot of antagonistic feeling think a 5-cent carfare with extra charge for transfers would come nearer company might continue to lose in the beginning, but that would come nearer live competition with the jitneys and tend to put them out of business"
 Charles F. Yarn said: "In my opinion an Scent carfare would be a great mis- take. More people would ride jitneys than ever and the car company would make less money than 1t does now. It seems to be that the only chance for the company Is to return to the 5-cent carfare. That would come nearer driv- ing the jitneys out of business than anything else.
 Each increase in carfare adds to the patrons of the jitney. They seem to take to the jitney out of reprisal. knew a woman who would not ride in the Jitneys under the 5-cent carfare and under the Scent carfare, but when they raised 1t to cents she took to the jit- neys and has been using them ever since"
 Edward Lewis said: Tt begins to look to me like an evolution in urban transportation. It does seem to me that the car company ought to be able to do with gasoline what the jitneys are do- ing with it. and what is being done in other cities with motor busses.
 "A convenience like the gas driven machine cannot be regulated nor legis- lated out of existence. It Is here to stay. Why not recognize it as they recognized the electric car when 1t came and superseded the steam dummy, which had succeeded the horse drawn car? l can't see that the Scent fare would benefit the car company. There is a limit to everything"
 Dr. c. w. Shropshire said: Tt is one Of three things, the elimination of the jitney, higher carfare or financial dis aster to the street railway system. That is the case as it stands with pres-
 
 time it does seem to me that 1t has be- come more far-reaching proposition. The gasoline machine must be eventu- ally recognized as a short t-distance car- rier.
 Tt is recognized as such in other cities, including New York city, where motor buses are popular mode of travel.
 T think the street car company A1r 1I&> ~xT- slider the operation of gasoline vehicles in conjunction with their electric cars. The Scent carfare with the jitneys still operating might tend to their increase instead of decrease"
 "Just tell them Pm going to walk" exclaimed Isaac Watson, furniture bus else is coming down. Here they start talking of going up. They just got that law passed taking the right of regulation from the city and giving lit to the state commi mission so they could do this very thing. l wouldn't be surprised at 15 cents next!" T don't believe the company has . right to charge Sc for short hauls., :, said Julius Levy, merchant. "Cn the long runs such as from East Lake to the heart of the city it may not be too much, but just short run right here in town, it is too much" There isn't but one thing for them to do, reduce the car fare to cents and freeze the jitneys out" said Hall Lindsay. butcher. My family patron izes the street cars because they are safer and because I think it is nothing but fair to do so since they have their money invested here and the jitneys haven't. But aside from cents car fare, wish the company would put on gear covers and stop ringing so many bells so we could have a little peace.
 "All can say is that I am certainly opposed to it. said J. H. Bradford lawyer; T understand that the car company has not cut any salaries, so of course their operaung expenses are heavy"
 eve people in Pratt City certainly clared Judge G. M. Taylor, judge of the inferior court of Pratt City, Ensley and Wylam
 l That is true of each of the other suburbs. The price is high enough for I a man of small means Uvho has several members of his family riding the cars daily and some method should be de- | vised to prevent this increase. We | certainly are opposed to the zoninE l system and are glad to see that the l court and the receiver were loath to 1 recommend that plan. It would cer- tainly be unfair to us to make us pay twice as much car fare as the people 1 in the heart of the city.
 People built their homes in the suburbs with the idea that they would l IA A | =