Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-06-11
ABANDONMENT
HEARING OPENS.
Utility Board Sitting at Keys
port in Case of Jersey
Central Traction y
COMPANY Is HEARD
Tells of Great LosSes--T Towns
Effected by Trolley Service
Also to be Heard Z
COMPANY IS HEARD

hEYPORT, June 11-Testimony
is being taken by the Public Utility
Commission here today in the Bor-
ough hall on the petition Of the
Jersey Central Traction Company
that it be given permission to aban
don the trolley line operated BY
them through Perth Amboy, South
Amboy, Keyport, Matawan. Keans-
burg, Atlantic Highlands and Red
Bank. Witnesses for the company
who were the first TO be heard de-
clared that the line never paid and
that the parent company which SI
the American Railway Company 20
Philadelphia has advanced over
S25O,000 to met the operating ex-
penses and that last year the com-
pany lost total of $4,000.
The Public Utility Commission isl
represented by Harry V. Osborne
chairman of the commission and J.I
5. Antenreith. II. c. Eddy, thaI
street railway inspector is also press
ent. Other state officers at the heard
ing are State Highway Engineer Wills
liam Sloan and State Highway Cons
missioner Jelin and Lee Grover, secsI
retary of the State Highway Come
mission.
Monmouth County is represented
- ia y ~ 4SbA I'll IAAdAA AAActA OL LAAN1
road committee OF the Monmouth
county Board OF freeholders. The
municipalities through which the
company operates are represented By
/ the following: Harry ". r ahe=+ls<,
>$orney for Keyport, Atlantic High-
/ lands, Keansbure, Midtown Town
ship; Mayor William ". Ramsay OF
Keansburg; Mayor Thomas Smith. oil
keypOrt; Joseph Salz. OF the Red
Bank Business Mems Association: i
Jacob r. Lefferts, borough attorney.
Matawan.
The Jersey Central Traction COM
pany is represented by their Attor-
ney H. B. Gill and Vice-president, C.
L. C, Pingley.
The hearing opened at 1881
o'clock when Chairman Osborne. |
read a statement of the purpose oil
the hearing. Attorney Gill of theI
Traction Company then explained
that the company although eontinu-
ing to operate was losing money all Il
the time and that the returns from
the line have never been enough to /
make an adequate return on the in
vestment.
He pointed out that the parenti
company had advanced $3.50. 600 toI
the company and that the losses for i
the last year amounted to S29, ,0Q01
/ He declared there are no funds in /
the treasury and that when the week
ends there is not enough money toi
meet the pay roll. He held that there
are no prospects of the condition.
improving.
C. L. 5. Pingley, vice president oil
the company was the first witness.
At y o'clock he was being questions
ed by Commissioner Osborne and Mr.,
Gill He stated that he had been
vice president of the company since
1917. He gave an outline OF the sys-
TEN and said that the company
owned S5.0S miles of track and leas.
ed the balance Of the forty miles
IN the system from the Central Rails
road Of New Jersey.
He stated that the company plans|
to abandon the entire system anal
that the only year any money wal
made was in 1917 when war con.|
dittons brought an increase. ConN
tinuing he declared the tracks to bel
in very bad condition and that after]
each rain they have 20 be fixed aal
the road bed has washed away.