The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1923-09-20


played little disposition 10 give any
ground, adhering to its original posi-
ton that it cannot continue to exist
with the auto-bus in active and costly
competition. It's plan for settlement
of the strike included elimination of
the buses from routes covered by its
| trolley cars and the absorption of the
vehicles at their physical value That
became one of the most serious OBJ
stacles to settlement because the
same company had, in it's demands
for higher fare, fixed large rating
upon its "going value" The busmen
claim with much energy and earnest
ness that they have also established
going value in their industry as
indicated by the immense numbers OF
passengers they carry and did carry
even before the strike tied up the
trolley cars.
Thus the burning controversy, keen.
~ affecting very large proportion Of
the States entire population, must
necessarily figure in the election Of
members of the Legislature since it
will be NO come in for action by
| the 1924 session. 1t is known that
number of the party leaders on both
sides have sensed the perils of situ-
alton like that and will endeavor to
shape their course in accord there
with.
1t has not been many years since
| another trolley problem vitality affect
ed the election. It was only in 1919
that the detested zone system of fare
collection established by the Public
Service Company was put out of COM
mission by an outraged public and the
stand taken that year by the then
Senator Edwards very materially aid.
ed him in winning the executive chair.
T. has since been conceded that his
franknes upon that question, as well
as upon the dry laws, figured largely
in his triumph.
s. Just what steps Legislature could
take to remove the possibility of re-
currence of the present transporta-
ton muddle is not yet clear, but it is
likely that a number of candidates
viii have proposals to make upon that
score and no doubt there will be a
great raft of bills introduced for that
purpose. but it will require mighty
careful and thoughtful study to work
out the solution with entire satisfac-
ton to the people The platforms to
be adopted in the state conventions,
! therefore, will be watched with I'M
usual attention this year.
Cooperation In North Jersey
/ Great interest is being displayed in
northern New Jersey in the growing
tendency of the municipalities in that
part Of the State to cooperate in the
pursuit of common aims. This ten
dency first became marked at the
time the campaign first began for the
consolidation of the ten towns in Hud-
son County into one large municipali-
ty, movement which is now in full
swing. 1t is now being carried fur
Their.
The Chamber of Commerce of the
State of New Jersey is the leading
sponsor for the new movement for
civic cooperation, which would COM
bine the efforts of Jersey City. New
ark, Paterson, Passaic city and other
north Jersey municipalities in a gen.
eraI campaign for civic improvements,
especially those that apply to all of
them together Representatives OF
these townships have already gone on
record as fayoring the formation of a
metropolitan New Jersey conference,
which will direct the joint efforts.
For the first time there are four
main items in the program of the
Joint movement which will be fought
for. These are:
/. Development of vehicular tun-
mel and highway plans.
2. Development of Newark Bay.
Port Newark and other waterways
8. Better rapid transit. facilities
a that viii enable the various north
i Jersey municipalities to connect more
directly with each other by rail
4. The development of a park sys-
tenn for northern New Jersey, as a
whole, to permit the proper develop
ment OF the region from the reslueA-
tial point of view.
The organization of the intermunici-
pal cooperative movement is being
carried on through the aid Of local
chambers of commerce. 1t is from
the leaders and executives of these
bodies that the metropolitan New Jer-
sey conferences will be formed. Jer-
sey City, Hoboken, Bayonne and other
parts of Hudson County, where the
municipal consolidation movement IS
going on. were represented by Edwin
B. Lord of the Jersey City Chamber
of Commerce. Dewitt Van Burkirk,
William P. Drew and James J. Cul-
lington.
Another development connected
with this movement is the possibility
of obtaining support in the State
Legislature at Trenton for municipal