Evening star., 1927-10-03
STREET RAILWAYS
ARE PROSPER|NC
Eye-AppeaI Big New Factor
in Trolley Industry-Busses
Augment Service.
BY j. G. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, October 3.-The COM
ing fight in transportation is going to
be between the pleasure car on one
side and the modernized co-ordlnated
bus and electric railway service on the
other. That fact became apparent
TODAY with the arrival in Cleveland of
10, 1000 leaders in the electric railway
industry, to attend the convention OF
the American Electric Railway Asso'
citation. Leaders in this field declared
that motor car manufacturers, VINO
are planning a big free-for-all battle
this Fall, may find q mysterious
stranger" in their midst when the
conflict gets going.
Electric cars and busses have ceased
to be competitors, these leaders de.
clared. The bus, they add, has Iouhd
it's place in local transportation ana
the combined forces of bus and raii.
way operators running a co-ordinated
service are turning on the common
competitor, the pleasure car.
MYSTERIOUS Stranger.
The "mvsterious stranger" has been
nreparing for the struggle for three
years and is ready to make his entry
in the battle in a new uniform. The
street railway is no longer depending
on the old dirty, noisy trolley. 1t IS
at present represented by cars ana
coaches in bright colors with wen
lighted exteriors and interiors, seats
with a maximum OF comfort, aiurnl'
mum bodies and other improvements
which have reduced noise and discom'
fort materially.
This development came as a direct
result of the convention three years
ago at Atlantic Sity, when electric rail-
way and motor bus men came 10 the
conclusion they must take leaf from
the automobile manufacturers book
and revolutioniZe the type OF Vehleies
used i'm public service. The electric
railway industry not only has co-ordi-
mated bus and street car service, lead
ers declared today, but has read1usted
it's financial basis, improved its pubilc
relations, trained its employees In pun-
lie relations and done extensive ad-
Vertising.
Until lately, however, the type of
vehicles used has not kept pace with
other improvements. The moderniZa-
ton which now has taken place Is due
to a working agreement between man.
ufacturers of cars and operators, as
sisted by leaders in the field OF pubic
transportation engineering.
Under the leadership of an advisory
committee, which includes Owen D.
Young, Sydney z. Mitchell, Samuel
insult and Lucius s. Storrs, managing
director of the association, the street
railway companies have been urged
to make heavy investments in this
new style equipment, and to meet
yat, N n or
on his own ground of eye appeal. This
idea was so thoroughly sold to the in
dustry that $l,000,000 has been ex-
pended this year in rehabilitating
plants and equipment. This trend of
the railroad equipment railway was
predicted and outlined by the writer
on June Is.
Light Cars Used.
In Grand Rapids, Atlanta, Nashville,
Chattanooga, Richmond, Va; Little
Rock, Kansas City and scores of other
communities new lightweight cars
have supplanted old equipment.
Approximately 5000 busses are op-
Grated in coordination with the street
cars. With the appearance of this
new equipment there have come ap-
plica tions for increased fares. These,
in many instances, have been granted.
officials Of the association state the
average fare on electric railways for
the country as whole now is 7.s3
cents, the highest in history. But
there have been few complaints over
increases where modern equipment
has been put into commission.
Officials of the industry attribute
the changed feelings to frank dealings
with the public. What the result of
the struggle in prospect is likely to
mean to the people of America can
be judged by the fact that the electric
railway industry now has approx.
mately sixteen billion riders a year.
The electric railway industry is conf.
dent of holding it's own. It's heads de.
clare the street capacity for motor
cars has about been reached and the