Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-02
TRACTION OFFICIAL (.
DEFENDS TROLLEYS
Coates Points Out New York
Surface Lines Carry 40 Per
Cent of All Riders.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, September 2.-Street
car men an over America are worry
ing about the street railway sltua-
ton in New York. They are not gem
orally interested financially in the
New York lines. Many of them do
not like New York and don't hesitate
to say So But To greater or less
degree, they all face, or may lace,
similar problems to those confronting
the New York surface car lines.
The chief concern lies III the de-
mand that certain of the Manhattan
surface routes be abandoned ITO re-
]ieye traffic congestion AS nearly
every city in the United States has an
acute traffic problem today. the street
car men, under leadership OF FRANK
p. Coates, president of the American
Electric Railway Association. are
uniting to present their side of the
traffic and fare controversies.
Two Transportation Questions.
"There are two questions in connec-
ton with transportation which nave
to be answered in every community,
Mr.. Coates said. The first Is Whether
there is demand for common carrier
TRANSFORMATION and the second whether
to earn fair return on investment.
There are plenty of communities
which cannot support even bus SNS-
tenn. and which have public service
TRANSFORMATION. Transportation Sys-
TENS i'm such communities are dying,
of course.
"In the larger communities. how
ever. there is Il great demand Tor pup
lie transportation. and this Is gong 10
increase for both electro ears anu
buses. AS cities grow larger ana the
Dopulation more dense the heeo lo'
electric car becomes more apparent.
Increased traffic congestion Is driving
the nriyate car owner hack to the
street car. To fulfill the needs I'M
nosed on it the street car must ne
given a chance to earn a pfoIlt' tne
same AS any other business, or II VIII
cease to function.
."rhis is not poverty plea. There
has heen A very decided movement on
the part of local. state ana na'loi'di
ofticials in the last five years to play
fair with the electric railroads. ~
dav the average fare throughout the
I-n;tad States is 80 cents. But fares
may easily he made too high and dis
courage riding. Quick rights-ot way
70 speed up service and relief from
taxation may be better remedies
than high fares.
"a GOOD deal Of comment has been
hoard lately about the possibility that
Vow York CITY will do away with its
trolley cars, because they cause trail
ec concession. One proposed solution
ic 10 substitute husses. The odd thing
about this is that it would mean the
substitution of five busses for every
three street cars.
Carry Big Percentage.
"Despite the drawbacks of D
cent fare, which has not paid operat'
ing EXPENSES and under which rolling
stock has gone down badly. and of
traffic congestion. the surface lines OF
New York today are carrying 40 per
cent of all the riders of the greater
CITY. The subwayS. elevated lines
and busses carry the remaining 60
per cent.
"Mv prediction is that the ultimate
solution of the problem will be CO.
ordination of electric car andf bus
service. If this sort Of arrangement
il made. fares will be kept at mini
mum. 1t is utterly ridiculous for
any one to say that busses can sup
nIant electric cars in mass transpOr-
tation.'
A recent survey of 10000 shoppers
in Cleveland showed that 40 per cent
used street cars and IL per cent
autos. The remainder walked. A
ST. Louis investigation showed that
in one dav 1916 busseS carried n total
of 1928 passengers while 9O,645
street cars carried 3oS,119-