Evening star., 1942-04-20
Transit Lines Face
Staggering Problem
OF Expansion
Industry Hard Pressed
To Provide Billions
OF Additional Rides
Bv JAMES HARLOW and WILL
LIAM PINKERTON,
y orld Business writerE


LIAM PINKERTON,
wio. world Business writers
NEW YORK. April 2o.-The var
has dumped a prodigious human
problem in the lap of the American
transit industry
At the same time it has turned
the clock back. Listen.
Whereas 10 years ago streetcars
we're run almost exclusively for the
accommodation Of the poor and
middle classes, now the Weather
classes are our patrons.
Cars can be seen going to and
from places of entertainment filled
with ladies robed in silks, velvets
and ermine. adorned with costly
jewels"
That statement was made not to-
day-although it could have been,
due to tire rationing-but by a de-
lighted speaker go years ago at the
organization meeting Of the Ameri-
can Transit Association.
Now, so years later. with billions
of extra rides forced upon the in
dustry because Of new jobs opening
up and diminishing use OF the auto
mobile, Charles Gordon, managing
director of the A. T. A., says:
The whole trend OF our problem
has gone into reverse Instead of
discussing ways and means of de-
veloping new trsfic. we Chave) to
consider how TO handle the loads
which are already taxing the ca
pacity of our facilities in many COM
munities.
1912 Estimates Exceeded.
Current figures indicate that
previous estimates of 1912 passen-
ger rides will be far exceeded and
that the industry will be hard
pressed for materials and equip
ment needed to provide the service
demanded"
The industry has travelled a long
way from that meeting in 1882, when
no mention was made of successful
experiments the year before in
harnessing electricity to streetcars
and the main problems were the
best way of feeding horses and how
to keep conductors honest"
There were profound changes in
Americas way of living in those
go years, too.
Until the first World War the
transit systems had q virtual mo-
nopoly on travel in cities and towns.
After that war came the automo-
bile.
Millions Of Americans began NOV
ing to the outskirts of towns and
cities, away from streetcar lines, and
depended for travel on their auto
mobiles.
A quick look at the transit indus
try, in 1882 and now. will show how
the travel problem has multiplied:
Sixty years ago the then $780,
900 900 industry had $4,000 vehicles,
$4,000 employees, 100000 horses and
mules, handled more than ! 900, 900, =
900 rides yearly and had an annual
fuel problem in obtaining II 200 900
bushels of grain and 10000 tons
of hay needed by the animals that
supplied the power.
Last year the now $4,000, 900 900
industry handled more than A.
900, 900 900 passenger rides-16,000,- =
000, 900 rides in 1926 was the peak
with 225,000 employees and $1,000
streetcars, subway and elevated
cars. regular and charter motor
buses.
All that growth and those new
billions of passenger rides were in
addition to the approximately 500
billion passenger miles which the
Automobile Manufacturers Associa-
ton estimated were accounted for
by private automobiles.
Load Increased Sharply.
Now, in the intense activity
brought on by war, as jobs multiply
and the use of automobiles de-
creases, passenger rides on the
transit lines increase by the bill
lions, a staggering new addition to
the customary loads
OF 1912 20 per cent increase-or a
total of 100000, 900 passenger
rides-over 194l, but that rate of
increase already had been reached
py the end of March and moved
Gordon to say:
TT indicates that the problem
of moving people on transit lines
to and from their jobs Is assuming
formidable proportions in many
communities"
The industry had estimated 1t
needed for 1912 travel loads q mini
mum of $4,000 additional motor
buses, 800 streetcars and 600 trolley
(electric) coaches and placed orders
for approximately this much equip
ment with manufacturers
This new equipment, of course,
would be in addition to whatever old
equipment the transit lines could
salvage or resurrect out Of their
storage yardsD
Deliveries Far Behind.
But Gordon says deliveries on
these new orders have fallen far
behind, due to difficulties which the
manufacturers have experienced in
obtaining materials
Transit men say the smaller the
town or city where there are street.
cars and buses the greater will be
the load the facilities will have to
handle, and for this reason:
In the great cities, like New York
millions of persons regularly have
been going to business on the transit
lines even though they owned their
own automobiles, for heavy traffic
and parking difficulties have always
been deterrents TO driving into and
through the city in rush hours.
But in the smaller communities
where hitherto the automobile was
the handy means Of getting to work
from the outskirts, tire and gaso-
Tyoa rationir0 u-iI fnrca o,1f1p,aLile