Smyrna times., 1925-07-01

rousing mass meeting of citizens
= SMYRNA and vicinity, filled the new
c,LooI Auditorium last evening and
.1+oro5 emphatic protest against the
Poiroad Company changing Smyrna
t.on, "Railroad Town" to a "Bus
Town" The audiance was composed
of some 400 or 500 people, number
of them women and any thought of
change was voted down unanimous
II L B. Sinclair, superintendent of
tho Delaware Division; Leon Stein,
snnerisOr of agents; w. A. Fleming,
+ranmaster and other officials motor
sd down from Wilmington in the bus
similar to what they desired put on
between Smyrna and Clayton and met
members of the Chamber of Com
merce. Smyrna, and other citizens for
conference. Supt. Sinclair was in
troduced by Charles D. Stockly, presi-
dent of the Chamber of Commerce,
who presided. Mr.. Sinclair stated
that the passenger service of the gas
olne driven train over the Smyrna
Branch Railway figured a loss of &c.
100 annually and that in the interest
Of economy" they desired to substitute
a bus service, put out at contract and
not part of the system to transport
passengers to and from Clayton; that
with such a service they could meet
more trains and give better service. :"
With this installed they would discon-
,inue the passenger train, close the
Smyrna Station and use the track for
carload hauls of freight only. The
less than carload freight would be to
Clayton and merchants would have to
provide their own means of getting
their freight from Clayton. He prom
ised to keep bus connections with
Clayton on the railroad time table.
1t costs to operate the gasoline train
$500 a year where the bus, he said,
could be operated for S1,800 a year.
He eyaded questions put to him as to
whether the loss on passenger service
was Offset by the profits in freight,
claiming that he was in Smyrna to
discuss the passenger end of the SER
vice alone and the economics sought.
Mr. Sinclair was asked a number of
pointed questions on the service, es-
pecialy as to why Smyrna was picked
out when other branch lines were op-
Grated at an admitted loss.
HarmOnsOn and StOckly Spokesman
c. L. Harmonson and Ayres J.
StocSly were spokesmen for Smyrna
and they fired a volley of questions to
Superintendent Sinclair, who gave an
eyasive answer to most all of them.
W. U. Hoffecker, Rev. T. G. Hill, J. +.
Wilson, j., Edward G. Walls, Walter
u. Iatnall and others entered the dis
cuSSlon the purport Of which was that
since smyrna had enjoyed railroad
service since the railroad was built
down IN Delaware, they desired SER
wee IN Smyrna to remain undisturbed.
everybody was against Smyrna being
showed OIL the railroad map and being
maze a bus town" Once the train
service was taken off Smyrna would
lose Its identity as a railroad town,
@n d, tickets would be sold to and from
dayton, not Smyrna, and the bus line
'noI part Of the Pennsylvania sys-
.en) would be in open competition to
p'neys and it too, it is believed, soon
= CT later would be taken off. The
suggestion by Supt. Sinclair that a
uaIlef could be attached to the bus
~ orng in trunks from Clayton pro-
oAed laughter and hints of returning
% 'Ae "ox-cart days" instead of real
progressive train service was thrown
oacK at Supt Sinclair.
9cneme Of Supt. Sinclair Falls Flat
Inc Whole plan of Superinten-
uent Sinclair fell fiat and when the
auulence was asked to vote on it. not
q q, vote IN its favor was to be had
y'ha business men and citizens are
a@. aa1usgo and are prepared to go to
pg 9'ligIals higher up in the Pennsylvania
-'a'lfoad system to retain for Smyrna
"a ,a i%'lroad connections, passenger anC
tielgnt. To take the railroad from
9iilyrna at time when it is showing
greater building boom than fol
a'sIa would be blight and react a,
-ooo wet blanket on a community OF
wv. WV people whose good wAl, it is con.
try to keep.