Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-02-03
Street. car Service
Is Indispensable

IL IHulOpUIIOuUlU
Some of our investors have been worried
by the published remark credited to city official
that 1.-THE street railways lot of junk - and by
his alleged prediction that the motor bus will put
the street out of business. The official if cor
rectly quoted mistaken. Here are the facts.
/: The Electric COmpany's electric rail
have State appraised phycal property valu>
of more than $2S00O,0O0. Under State regulation
they equtaby entitled earn III % net yearI;
income on that valuation. Under normal conditions
normal operating costs and normal travel-they have
done ii, and with the return of normal conditions they
reasonably be expected to do il hereafter. Dur
ing recent years, with operating costs abnormally
normally light, they have not that rate Mean
while State regulation treating all electric services,
service has permitted other branches of the
service to earn enough to make up for part of the
temporary decline in street railway earnings The
Company has not beer permitted to earn, upon its
whole State appraised investment, the fair return
contemplated by the States wellsettled policy. 1t
has, however, earned enough all of its obi
enS o PfS@p ond @ q to Pay
ers who operate the business and bear its risks have
been required by State regulation to take much less
than a fair return upon their investment, during the
past year.
2: Next to the city water system, the street
railways the most vital Of all public services
YEARLY m and Safr FROM more work. n naS
on countless other errands They supply the cheap
slered the most comfortable form of city travel for
nearly all of the people. If their service were with
drawn for a day, commerce and industry in city and
suburbs would be crippled; # for several days com
No other form of vehicle be used in sufficient
numbers, in our narrow streets to carry rush hour
crowds into and out of the industrial and CONNER
eal centers as quickly as they must be carried.
3: The extremely high cost of car line ex-
tensions including the unfair charge for paving
which street railways do not use but must pay for
makes il unlikely that many If any line extern
American
cep where traffic too heavy TO be served by trolley
the country, including both company and municipal
systems are agreed that high operating costs will
except feeder for car lines. They agree that
the trolley bus. requiring no tracks and using low
cost central station electric power and will be-
generally used where ear-Iine extensions
wanted, and supplementary service.
A: The use of lightweight lOw-cost, one
man safety ears in place Of heavy; hish-cost two
general throughout the country, both company
and in investment costs thus Effected are Rsippg to
bring this indispensable public service back to a self
supporting status. Municipal systems, in Seattle
Detroit and other cities, have been especially active
in making of this means of improving service
and holding down fares.
Summed up, the future usefulness and
reasonable prosperity of the street railways while
they remain in private ownership under progress
sve management, is well assured as that of any
other utility 1t goes without saying, in view of
The Electric Companys 26-year record of leader
ship in adopting all proven betterments liz car serv
ice for Milwaukee's lines, that this company will
make use of all such betterments hereafter de-
veloped quickly city and state authorities will
permit.
Our investors need have no fear that so
much as a dollars worth of the State-appraised
and income producing property back of their so
cumulative preferred shares is Junk" or in any
danger of becoming junk The S1,800,00 of these
shares bought by Milwaukee district men and
women during the past seven months are thor
Oughly safe investment, both for principal and in
come. The 81, 100000 remainder of the $3,00000O
issue is selling rapidly. If you want some of these
shares, either for cash monthly payments of
So per share, better apply for them soon. Bought
either way, you get so on every dollar invested
from the day you put it into the business.
Mail orders should be addressed to
SECURITIES DEPARTMENT, Public Service
Bldg, Milwaukee, Wis.,, draft, check other en-
closure being made payable to T. NJ. E. r. & L. Co.