Evening star., 1924-10-10
STREET RAILWAYS
SPREAD BUS IDEA
'BuSt-the-BuSSeS" Policy
Given Up in Drive to Meet,
Competitors.
BY J. &. ROYI.E..
pecisl Dispatch to The Star.

SpeclHi DIspAtch 10 Inc star.
ATLANTIC CITY, y. j.. October 10
The majority of the electric street
railway men of the United States
havea ba andoned the bust the buses
policy and have decided to gain a
jump or, competitors by adopting the
bus method of transportation to sup
plementstheir own systems. This fact
mas become evident as result of
scussions of the American Electric
Railway Association, now in conven-
tion here. They have set down as a
basic principle that the greatest thing
PUBIC service. corporation has to
sell the public Is service, and they
are going to sell service. whether it
be by bus or street ear
Move Of Vitat IMPORT.
This decision has direct bearing
on practically every American citi-
zen. In the FIRST place. every inhabi-
tant is user of street cars to a
greater or less degree Street car
companies viii have sold well over
sixteen billion rides to these innabi-
tant before December 81. One per-
son out of every 81 is part owner
in an electric railway, according to
statisticianS of the association. The
average holding of these stock olders
is about $4,000. These figures do not
include those Indirectly interested
through life insurance company funds
invested in electric railway secur-
tiles.
As result OF the determination
outlined above, street railway COM
panIes are going ahead with heavy
programs of expansions and better
ments. For the early part of this
year, an average of s3.400,0O0 day
was invested in public utility secur-
tiles. Much of this came from Gus
toners OF the companies involved and
the electric railway improvements
now in progress are being financed
from similar sources.
Huge Equipment Orders.
In southern California alone. or
deIs now placed for equipment and
materials necessary for expansion
total $4,000, 600. while in central and
northern California new equipme mt
orders approximate Sl2.000006.
'frhe work must go on" said Brit :
ton l. Budd. president Of the associa- :
tion. THAT means new capital must
be found AT least part Of this
new capital must come from the sale
of junior securities which the public
will readily absorb when il knows
the proceeds are TO be applied to
proVement of service. If company
is really serving d community il will
find ready response"
Bus Move Spreads Rapidly.
Mr. Budd added that $50 electric
railway companies now We're operat
ing about two thousand busses. and
that that number probably would be
greatly increased in the immediate
- n1 of a
busses purchased this year. he added.
had been bought by electric railway
companies. Where there is q public
need for bus service" he concluded
I'VE should supply it even If we must
conduct il for a time at loss. be-
cause we gain in public good will by
giving the public the service it
wants
Bus manufacturers who were con-
suited today agreed with the street
car men that the electric street car
was Indispensable in handling the
traffic OF cities.
They poini ed out that a bus service
in congested city streets comprehen-
sive enough to handle all traffic
would involve SO many vehicles as
to jam the thoroughfares from curb
to curb and make movement so slow
rs to be impra cticable.
see street Car Replaced.
They declared however. that in
terurban bus transportation had q
prosperous .uture before it. In the
hands of the electric railway COM
panies, they asserted. busses would
replace rural electric lines, which
now were operated at little or no
profit These lines in general We're
built to develop territory and provide
feeders for me- in lines rather than to
carry d heavy volume Of passengers
and this work in future undoubtedly
will be done through the medium Of
bus lines.