Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1923-05-18
Declare Company Is
Operating at Loss of
$4,000 a Month
TOO MANY AUTOMOBILES

The Jersey Central Traction Com
pany. which operates trolley cars be-
tween this city, South Amboy, Key
port, Matawan. Keansburgh, Allan
tic Highlands and Red Bank, has
made application to the Public IT'LL
ity Commission to abandon the line.
The application, according to VIII
liam H. Hitchcock, general manager
of the company, was filed with the
commission yesterday and is await
ing their action.
In admitting today that the COM
pany had made application TO the
commission to abandon the line, Mr..
Hitchcock declared that the reason
was because the company is running
/ $4,000 a month behind in operating
| expenses, not counting fixed charges
I He further stated that since the COM
i pany first took over the old hors'
/ car line operating between MatawaT
and keyport in 1898, and from time
to time expanded the system after
it was electrified, it has always been
a losing proposition and has been
carried continually by the parent OF
holding companies. The control OF
the company at the present time Is
held by the American Electric Com
pany, of Philadelphia.
The Jersey Central Traction Com
pany employs about 100 men in the
winter season and 140 in the summer
when the rush to the shore resorts
is on. The company has forty-tw
miles of track, thirty-six cars and is
capitalized at s114,000.
Asked if il is the intention of the
company to abandon the system i'm
mediately if the Public Utility Com
mission should grant this permis-
sion, Mr.. Hitchcock stated the COM
pany would continue operation un-
til other means of transportation
had been arranged. Asked if bus
service had played an important part
in the desire of the trolley company
to discontinue service, Mr.. Hitch
cock said the buses had not played
such an important part; the main
reason for the move was that indi-
vidual automobiles had taken the
place of the trolley in the territory
it covered.
When the Jersey Central Traction
Company purchased the old horse
car line which had operated for a
number of years between Matawan
and Keyport the old car barns mid
way between Matawan and Keyport
were rebuilt and a power station in
stalled. The company continued this
line for a few years and then began
TO branch out. The line running be-
tween Matawan and Freneau was
then built and the keypUt line eX-
tended to Atlantic Highlands and
Red Bank. When the company came
into the borough of Matawan, ar?
rangements were made whereby the
company was to extend the line from
Matawan. towards Freehold within
stated period of years or forfeit d
sum OF several thousand dollars, The
line was never extended and the
money was forfeited to the borough.
When the Perth Amboy line was
built. the first plans called for the
! laying of the tracks along those Of
the New York q Long Branch rail-
road in the vicinity Of Morgan. Some
of this roadbed was built, it is un-
derstood, but was late~ abandoned
when the company decide to run
over the present course.
When the road reached South
Amboy, It was found impossible 10
operate through the hole-in-tha p
wall, and a compromise was made
with the Pennsylvania railroad
company, whereby the Pennsylva-
MIA agreed to build a road over their
private right of way, upon which