Evening star., 1933-04-16
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

The following in The Star Of April
9, 1883, refers to a practice which
p caused great incon-
oaSkets on venience half . CEN
Street Cars. tury ago to many
likewise concerned the operators of
those lines of transportation:
"One Of the principal street car lines
Of Boston has issued an order requir-
ing an extra fare for every basket or
package large enough to occupy the
room OF a passenger. The practice Of
loading the street cars up with freight
had become 80 common that this order
was necessary for the protection of tho
company and the comfort Of the pas
sengers. One Of the lines Of this city
has prohibited passengers from taking
baskets within the cars, but it permits
them to be carried on the front plat
form, privilege that the Boston COM
pany denies unless an extra fare Is
paid. OF course, it Is a great conven-
fence and a considerable saving to the
owners of market baskets and other
large packages to get them carried free
OF cost on the street cars, but it is
often serious discomfort to other pas
sengers. The company should oblige
the public as far as practicable, and
when car Is not crowded there can
be no objection to the presence Of q
basket. Those who have large baskets
or bundles to carry, however, should be
equally obliging and wait for a car that
Is not crowded"
The Star Of April II, 1883, thus states
the specifications for a model school
Ideal School BUILDING; 4ha district .,,+,or-
,Ru;1d;roe tiles cannot be too care
plans of the new school buildings meet
the well known requirements of the
present day in regard to the health
and safety Of pupils and teachers. All
authorities agree now that not more
than two stories of any school building
should be occupied as class rooms. The
day Of eky parlor and basement school
rooms has passed. and people now won-
der that they should ever have been
tolerated. No school room floor should
be less than from two to four feet
above the level Of the surrounding
ground. All basement school rooms are
prolific Of colds. diphtheria, scarlet
fever and other kindred diseases. It is
. matter OF congratulation that with
the completion of the buildings now
our city will be lifted out of Easements"
X
The situation with regard to rates
for auxiliary transportation service In
Complaint as to years % ago was as
Elastic Cab Fares. ap;ns similsr to n,.ts,it that
today, with taxicabs immune from Of
fetal supervision over tariffs. The Star
of April 13, 1883, prints the following
letter from an indignant citizen:
Explain If you can what the object
of the hanson cab is. 1t is generally
understood that they run in opposi-
ton to the hackney coaches. 1t is
well known fact that one can take a
hanson and 60 to any part of the city
for rs cents; that you can employ
them at rs cents an hour. Now if such
Is the case. why should they tack on
an extra price to take one home from
the theater? The writer Of this article
wanted hanson last night to take
himself and wife home from Ford's
though the distance was only to Tenth
and o streets. He declined to pay that
sum, because he thought 1t was evi-
IDENTIFY q desire to take advantage Of
the occasion. He afterward rode home
in hackney coach for so cents. He
saw at least six hansoms and as many
herdic cabs 60 away from the theater
without passengers, presumably be-
cause they demanded more than their
established rates. These new vehicles
are becoming very popular here and
would be well patroni1ed II they would
only adhere to their advertised rates."