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Show STREET NUT PLIGHT HO Public Ownership Advocated Advo-cated Before Association as One Remedy. NEW YORK, Nov. 1. Public ownership owner-ship of street railways as a solution of present "unprecedented conditions" was advocated before the American Electric Railway association, metting here today, by Richard McCulloch, president of the United Railways company of St. Louis, while John J. Stanley of Cleveland, presi7 dent of the organization, and Thomas N. McCarter of Newark, N. J., chairman of the committee on conference with national na-tional government, urged higher fares as essential to continued operation of the lines. More than 1000 delegates from all sections sec-tions of the country heard Mr. Stanley assert as-sert that "the federal government has assumed as-sumed regulation of the street railways in all but one essential feature, the price of fares." He declared that the nickel dropped in the conductor's box has today to-day only one-half the power to purchase service that prevailed in peace times and urged action to place before the public the predicament of the trolley companies, stating his confidence that "the people stand ready to pay a fair price." Mr. McCulloch i said the public ownership owner-ship would bring about elimination of the necessity for franchises; improvement of service; municipal control of extensions and of construction of rapid transit lines and terminals, and adjustment of wages, taxes and fares. Regarding the fare qeitstion he said: "It is difficult to see how street railway rail-way companies, under private ownership, can ever afford to return to a 5-cent fare, even if their other burdens are lifted. But under public ownership the rate of fare could be established at 5 cents or less and the deficit in the cost of operation opera-tion be made up out of the general taxes." |