Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-01
STREET CARS HELD
BEST FOR CROWDS
C. of C. Agrees Traction
Firms Should Have Chance
for Adequate Earning.

No effective way Of handling mass
transportation other than by street cars
and rapid transit lines has been found
nor is likely In the near future, was
the general concensus of opinion of the
round table conference on Mass Trans
portation in Cities held yesterday by
the Chamber of Commerce of the
in Atlantic City.
The conference was in agreement that
traction companies should be given
every opportunity to earn an adequate
return in order that they may provide
modern and adequate transportation
facilities to the community in which
they serve That they should be re-
lieved of such burdens as the cost OF
street paving. snow removal, the pay
ment of traffic policemen, cost OF
bridges. etc, and that unregulated.
irresponsible lines should not be allowed
to compete. Particularly was the con-
ference opposed to irresponsible fiat-rate
taxicab operation as detrimental to the
successful operation of adequate mass
transportation.
In the course of the discussion Col.
Robert T. Randolph, president Of the
Chicago Association of Commerce and
q member of a citizens committee of
that city appointed to work out COM
plete reorganization of the Chicago
street railway and rapid transit systems,
declared public transportation agen-
cies must have chance for reasonable
financial prosperity"
Advance Thinking Needed.
He stated that in encouraging pros
porous street railway and rapid transit
system the community was not being
kind to the traction companies, but was
looking after its own best interests.
The patronage of street car companies
in cities of 100000 is decreasing to a
surprising extent and, in my opinion.
business men are not sufficiently
aroused oyer this prospect. they need to
do some advanced thinking on the
problem of their transportation" he
declared.
Col. Randolph stated that private au-
tcmobiles were not adequate to care for
mass transportation, and that street
cars were not giving away to the buses,
because the efficiency of the street car
has not been equaled for mass trans
portation and peak-load hauling.
Summing up his talk he urged that
every opportunity, encouragement and
protection be given to insure proper ana
prosperous traction organizations, under
proper regulation that would demand
the highest type of equipment, manag e-
ment, service and transportation factli-
ties from the street car lines them
selves. The street car companies should
be given the right to remove and ad-
Just routes to meet modern require
ments, city changes and growth.
Urges Parking Ban.
In speaking of parking, he said It
should be prohibited in congested sec
lions, and that the time-limit system
in parking was useless as it only re-
suited in cruising and further congsSt-
ing traffic on the streets.
Henry I. Hartman of Boston, Mass,
chairman of the New England Power
Association and chairman OF the board
of trustees of the Boston Elevated Rail-
road, declared street car transportation
for large cities had come to stay, and
that the automobile had its place, but
it was not in mass transportation. He
declared street cars fundamentally sound
because they have survived the peak
automobile markets. He urged the ne
cessity, however, of advertising on the
part of the mass transportation COM
panies and stated, they must depend
on the service they render for public
favor" He declared that in 1880 city
States had hauled 600.000,000 pa
irons, which was only 715 per cent less
than the year before. OF this only l.
IT'S, OO0, 900 had been hauled by buses.
Both Mr. Hartman and Col Ran
dolph predicted an increase in the use
of the trolley BUSES now rapidly going
in favor.