Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-12-06

VIC CaSN5 OP[A6AAa5 AAA6 ~
built and maintained at public ex
pense while they had to operate owe
a right of way which cost them
large sum In the beginning an,
which is a continual expense to then
to keep up, the trolleys natural!
decided that they, too, would d.
away with this expense and let tn,
public foot the bill, so the trolley
companies are starting buses. TIL
Public Service Corporation is making
a beginning in Camden and doubt
less proposes to extend Its bus opera
tons throughout its system.
Why not? If the taxpayers are
willing to go down in their pockets
for millions of dollars to build high
ways over which buses can operate
freely for private gain, why should
any company go to the expense OF
building and maintaining a right of
way of it's own?
The same thing applies to the rail-
roads. The development of the
motor truck in recent years has
made great inroads on the carrying
Of short-haul freight. Companies
operating auto trucks have estab-
lished lines between most of the
large cities and running out into
the suburban towns. These com
panies have taken advantage of the
vast amount of money the taxpayers
have put into good roads. They r
direct competitors of the railroads,
yet the public builds and maintains
for them their right of way.
Naturally, the railroads see no
reason why they should buy a pri-
vate right of way and pay the cost
Of maintaining tracks when by buy
ing motor trucks which cost even less
than a freight car, they al use the
public highways which are main
talned by the taxpayers, and trans
port freight on short hauls. The
fact that the Pennsylvania railroad
is actually putting this idea into
practice between Philadelphia and
Wilmington, Del, Is evidence that
1t will not be long before much of
the short haul freight is moved in
this way.
The Pennsylvania railroad has
found that by using motor trucks to
carry local freight between Phila-
delphia and Wilmington and inter-
mediate points 1t is able to dispense
with two entire freight trains daily.
The new arrangement, 1t is declared,
does not involve any changes in
or otherwise, as far as the
patrons are concerned. The only
difference lies in the fact that the
actual transportation between sta
tons Is performed wholly or in part
by motor trucks instead of by To-
cal freight trains as heretofore. This
trucking service will be confined to
less than carload shipments. 1t is
found that the motor trucks have a
great speed in movement and a fiex-
ibility of operation which enables
them to perform the local freight
from station to station with
much greater efficiency than was
formerly possible with regular
freight train equipment. And the
point is, the taxpayers are paying
to maintain the roads instead of the
railroad companies.
1t is time some scheme was de-
vised whereby these private trans
p~ortat'on companies, both for pas
senger and freight service, contrib
uted more to the building and up
keep of the highways which are be-
coming SC useful to them, and which
are built and maintained by the tax
payers. These trucks and buses
have come to stay. They are going
to use the highways more and more,
and no one can blame the railroads
anu trolley companies for turning
to the free use of the highways
built and maintained by the tax
payers, especially when their COM
petitors are capitalizing the high
ways to build up a rival business.
Under the circumstances it would
seem only fair to ask these private
companies to contribute a just share
of the cost of building and maintain
ing these improved roads instead of
forcing a heavier burden on the tax
payers each year, at the same time
increasing congestion so that the
average taxpayer not only foots the
bill but is being grad"a-ly crowded
out.
LOOKING AHEAD