The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-03-22
Also Seek A Transfer
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an increase of $S5,So1 was Sho"lI months amounted to s530. .6ss.54. Operating expenses during thls same ne period amounted to s4s7'fas-oo- D. Taxes paid by the company were $2o,4641S During the months eI November and December, $5,O79-s5 and s6,S82.6O respectively, were shown as deficits. In January ana February increases of s13,293.4S and s11,154.45, respectively, were shown netting an operating income Of S1z,- 4S5.5O.
 Chairman Higgins after reading the report as given by the com1nls- sion, called upon Mayor Atwater for said: "The matter of the trolley sit uation has been of moment Tn Bridgeport before l was elected to office. Since November I have taken keen interest, in a quiet way con corning the affairs of the traction company I have watched the fig ures. I feel that the figures present ed by your honorable commission is looking up. I feel that the Con necticut company should be placed in a condition so that they may give transportation of a satisfactory na- ture.''
 Mayor In Favor.
 Mayor Atwater declared that he was in favor of the token system He requested that MT. Litchheld, chair man of the Transportation commit tee, be called upon.
 Mir. Litchfield declared that an in veStigation by experts brought forth that the holding or the Traction com pany were valued at approximately $9,000,0OO.
 He stated that in his estimation property was worth proport1onaiIy 10 the amount of money it could earn. q am convinced that the traction company will never earn sufficient return from the five cent fare. In my opinion none of the rates yet tried have been successful, as the present system
 If the fare had been ten cents as in other places the jitneys would have carried more passengers ands the rev enue of tn etrolley company would have been even smaller. I believe the Connecticut company as an lnstl- tuition is in very much better repute than at any other time"
 "The concensus of the people is that a five cent basis be maintained. The present rate has not yet proven a failure and I believe that the pres ent system should be carried out for token system which gives the pass enger three tokens for twenty-five cents has not proven a success in those parts of the state where it has been tried"
 Mir. Litchfield's contention is that
 
 been proved "a success and that since the present basis of operation in Bridgeport has not proven a failure the present system in vogue should be continued indefinitely.
 sPart OF Bridgeport''
 MT Hall representing the StratfieId Improvement Association was next given permission to speak. He declar- ed that although their government was not a part of Bridgeport no diff ference should be made due to the fact that transportation purposes they were a part of Bridgeport. He stated Stratfield district wished to attend a Town meeting in Fairfield, it would cost them twenty cents each. He thanked MT. Litchfield for the sug- geStion that Stratfield should become annexed to Bridgeport's bonded in- debtneSS.
 Judge Carl Foster requested per mission, which was granted, to take turelis. business mems associations, and of various communities. He stat ed that there were but two points which he wished to present to the unit of five cents has been agreed upon as the most practical and most popular, the unit which everyone seems to desire; second, that keep ing In mind the unit of the five cent fare the application of that unit may be improved. Referring to Mir. Halls remarks he said: -'It does not seem that in the Stratffe1d district, mere geographical lines should set the fare rate but rather the number of resi- dents situated In the district. In like manner in going to Stratford, unless one was todd, one could not discern the division mark"
 Judge Foster proposed that the Stratfe1d, Fairfield and Devon dis tricts be entitled to pay five cents since Bridgeport was the center of sao jnSs for clared that the present system neces- sitated the citizens of these districts to pay a penalty for living where they did. He proposed five cent fare to be paid by the people of Bridgeport in- cluding Stratfield, Devon and Fairfield with a two cent transfer charge.
 Chairman Higgins asked Judge Foster if he meant that the people of without considering the number of miles necessary to transport them.
 In reply Judge Foster said that the people of Devon had built their homes to pay ten or fifteen cents if they 1 wished to get to Bridgeport.
 Are they paying any more for else % asked MT. Higgins
 "Yes and getting 1ess,' was Judge Fosters reply, which brought, forth applause from the entire assembly.
 Judge Foster called upon MT. Ly- 1 izations in the city.
 Lyford spoke at length on the situ- 1 ation now confronting the traction l company and the riding public, and | expressed the opinion that a five cent 1 fare with two cent transfer is the best l solution.
 Manufacturers Want It.
 AlVluS Winter, representing the 1 Manufacturers association, asserted | that cheap and adequate transporta- | ton is what is wanted in Bridgeport. l He said that he had been impressed | by figures showing improvement in l the Norwa1k trolley situation, but has i heard nothing of the ultimate result l being attained. He concluded by saying that the old fare limits should | be established. and that the pres ent five cent fare experiment should be continued.
 Extension of the f1ve-cent fare ex- pertinent was also urged by D. Fair child Wheeler, president of the Cham Der of Commerce. MT. Wheeler claimed that permanent hcve-cent 1 fare would be reasonable if business conditions improve. and also was of the opinion that the Stra tffeld district I