The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-02-27
ABOUT TRANSPORTATION.

Columbia has a street car strike.
the strike was brought. about by the
discharge of a number of men form
erly employees. Because the COM
pany refused to ~reinstate these men,
other employees struck. But back of
it all is the alleged fact, and we have
no doubt the fact exists, that the
revenue of the street car company in
Columbia is insufficient to keep the
cars running. That complaint is made
not only in Columbia but in other
cities. In some places the fare has
been increased in order that street
car companies might make ends meet,
but it is stated that even this does
not relieve the situation.
The automobile has played the
larger part in the conditions COM
planned of. Each year more and more
people go and return to their places
of business in their own motor cars
rather than on the street cars. Not
withstanding the fact that the street
cars give regular and adequate SER
vice, this continues to be the case.
Then too a great deal of the transfer
business in the cities is done by au-
tomobile carriers which helps to re-
duce the number of patrons of the
street railway companies. These facts
have brought about a situation which
causes grave concern. What is to be-
come of the street railways? Are they
ill to operate, or will they give
place entirely to other mean of
transportation? We say that these are
serious questions in places like Col
umbia where many people own sub
urban property, and where the value
of that property is dependent largely
on an adequate means of transporta-
tion to and from the city. If these
people do not own cars and are not
able to own them, what is to become
of their property? How are they to
occupy it and enjoy it when it is
miles away from their places Of work
and when they have no cheap way of
reaching their places of work?
That is a problem for the cities
with which we are only indirectly in
terested at this time. But the same
question is brought home to US with
regard to the railroads. The state
ment is made already that the trans
p~orfation- sf passengers and freight
by motor vehicles fof shelrt hauls has
greatly reduced the income OF the
railroads on this class of business.
More and more as the highways are
improved and as the motor vehicles
are perfected and madAa tos be oper-
ated cheaply will people have resort
to them rather than to tKs railroads.
There is reason why aA ssFailroads
should suffer more on this account
than the street cars. In the first
place, it is stated that for short
hauls freight may be delivered as
cheaply by truck as by railroad. In
the next place the freight may be de-
livered at any time, and in so much
shorter time than the railroads will
deliver the same kind of shipments,
that people will not longer patronize
the old carriers. Added to this is the
Inconvenience Of reloading and I'm.
loading in making shipments by rail.
road with a consequent greater liza;
bility from breakage and other dam
age which but adds to the cost Of
transportation by railroads.
If these conditions continue anc
the railroads are not able to compete
with trucks on these short hauls, thu
revenues of the railroads will be cut
and as the hauls by truck and motor
vehicle become longer, the revenues
will be cut still more and more unit
in time it will be a question whethe,
ne railroads may be made to pay
just as it is now a serious question
whether the street cars in small cite
may be made to produce enough rev
erue to keep them running.
These are matters which the PEG
pie must be interested in. They ar
serious matters for our considera
ton. They are serious especially TO: