New-York tribune., 1922-10-20
City Gusts
No1a-V oti1lg
Bus Drivers
socutlnrad from rage on.,

tbcHtneN1 UOW F6dt oHtl
"a. II was Friday, everything
Strengthened. the policy was clean.
Then went home that night and came
bnck the next day and orders weresnp
in the office to discontinue the bus
and SO on. Sixteen of us. | am pretty
nearly sure about sixteen Of us.
Ruceo said the receipts were abous
$50 a day, and that the Chambers and
Madison Street and the Eighty-sixs
lines were the "cream" Of thu business.
On Chambers Street he took in about
ss5 day on the average, working two
shifts, with expenses of about SEQ Or
s22 day for two chauffeurs gas and
wear and tear. During the car strike
Rucco said he pulled down" $40 a
day for week, but ordinarily he would
collect $40 or Sac day operating a
bus with eighteen seats.
Cars Packed for Nickeis
Judge Shearn soon began to ask
about squeezing in passengers.
Q.-With busses having that limited
seating capacity in order to take in $50
or $40 or $40 day you must have had
to take good many passengers into
your car, didn't you. A.--Oh, yes, VIC
had to have them packed in all right;
no question about that.
K Q.--Packed them in like sardinesy Z
Alike herring, we called them.
Q.-You put in as many as you could
get in? A.---As fur as we could get
them in back. 1t had to be a paying
proposition. We did not know how
long it was going to last; had to get
everything that was con.sig to you.
See?
Q.--Then there must have been a
good many times when you have two
or three times as many people+ stand
ing in your cars as you did sitting :?
A.--Weli, according to that, we seated
IS, carried 40 TO 10. about 40 to 45.
In the rush hours you could not help
it. Sometimes they jumped on. You
can not help 1t sometimes.
Q.--How would the bus operators or
bus drivers do with one another in
order TO get more passengers? A
Why, they would drag one another.
''Drag" System Explained
Q.-What does drag mean? A.-Lay-
ing the other fellows time, the head
ways; in the bus business the more
headway that you get the more bust
ness you get. That is where the fight
ing came in.
Off you wanted to drag, to get
more than your share Of passengers,
how did you do it? A.--Instead of 20,
ing twelve miles an hour you would go
two miles an hour and get your load
and then sweep away. That isgthe way
we worked it,
Q.-You would get card from ths
have card every day.
Q.-Would you say that you could
make your expenses on a five-cent fare
and giva everybody a seat? A.-Oh,
no. You have to have them standing.
Couldn't give everybody q seat and
make money unless you had big bus
to seat fifty.
After Ruocco was knocked off" the
line he soon discovered that there was
q man named Meighan who wanted to
get him back on. Ruocco said that
Meighan came to him and asked him if
he wanted to buy new bus. Ruocco
unless he could be assured that he
would get permanent permit. Ruocco
testified that Meighan came back with :
That's all right. You buy an I'M
perial and l will see that you get the
best line in the city" Meighan said
that. He said: "If you don't, you
won't have to buy the car"
Best, Routes Guaranteed
Off you paid $4,000 for the I'm
perial he would guarantee to get you
on the best line there was? A.-That' s
what he said to me, bsolutely.
Q.-And if he didn't get you on you
need not pay for the bus. A.-That's a
fact. That's what Mr.. Meighan said
to me.
Q.-Did you come to an agreement
with Mr.. Meighan? A.-No. / told
him / wouldn't take chance; the
thing is too uncertain; I can't do it.
said: "1f you get permit | will buy