Little Mechanical Bandits

National Public Radio had a piece on the air over the weekend about parking meters and it reminded me of these snippets I've collected from my grandfather's "Golly" column over the years.

January 1947, Week One:

Parking meters in Coudersport  – horse feathers!
Now let's build a subway for two or three blocks!

January 1947, Week Two:

Paying $79.50 for a parking meter worth at the most only $14.50 is the height of damphoolishness. If you buy 125 of the pesky things that would make a grand total of $8,125 thrown down the sewer.  

P.T. Barnum was right when he said there was one born every minute

.January 1947, Week Three:

Think of it – $10,000 worth of meters! The Council proposes to have 125 (approximately) of the meters installed. The cost is $79.50 each.
The meter consists of a little machine, less complicated than a cheap alarm clock, a piece of iron pipe four or five feet long and a box of cement on the lower end. The whole cost of supplying and installing should not be over $14.50.
But the price is $79.50 each.
Why $65 profit for the meter concern on each machine – even if the blooming things were needed at all which we seriously doubt.

It just doesn't make sense regardless of how many cities and towns have been suckers.

The fact that so many municipalities have installed meters is evidence of quantity production and makes the outlandish price just that much more ridiculous.

May 1947

The parking meters are working in Coudersport. They were particularly conspicuous Monday morning. The town looked like a deserted village, but there were plenty of parking meters visible.

Later May 1947

The meters are installed and operating. Most people cuss 'em. Occasionally a ticket is handed out by Officer Paul Richert. One of the first tickets went to Street Commissioner Chilson. He had gathered up the collected coins and was making a count. The meter at the stall where his car was parked showed red. He received a ticket.

Officer Richert is off to the right start. If Coudersport is to have meters – and i sure does have them – the regulations should be enforced to all alike.

There must be no favoritism shown to a borough employee or any official regardless of his rank.

January 1948

Parking meters exit from Coudersport. Golly is glad the borough council has acted and settled the matter. It has been a controversial subject for some eight months. That's long enough!

February 1948

The heads of the parking meters have been removed. You no longer have to pay for parking a car in Coudersport. As soon as the weather condition permit, the iron pipes that held the meters will be removed and parking meters in Coudersport will be only a memory.
Golly cannot have sympathy for those who champion those little mechanical bandits.

August 1952

Like 'em or not, looks like the borough council is going to stuff parking meters down the throats of the public even though 78 percent have indicated they do not want them.
Who says this is a glorious country where the majority rules?
Of all the nerve! Pure unadulterated nerve! Members of Coudersport's borough council have it.
In face of the fact that 78 percent of the people in and near Coudersport are opposed to parking meters, the council voted to install them.

It takes guts to do a trick like that. It should also be remembered that parking meters were installed here some years ago on a trial basis and, after a few weeks, the public arose in righteous indignation, attended a council meeting and demanded the meters be removed.

THEY WERE REMOVED.

How can men in the right minds, servants of the public go so strongly against the wishes of the people who had sufficient confidence in their honesty to elect them to office, act as the council members acted Tuesday evening.
Can you answer that question? We cannot.

April 1953

Parking meters! That troublesome old subject keeps popping up to give a headache to at least 75 percent of the people of Coudersport and vicinity.
Right now some 60 businessmen have signed a petition protesting the installation of the pesky things. It will be presented to borough council at its next meeting.
Something like a year ago the Enterprise carried a survey with coupons published in this paper. The returns were 78 to 22 percent opposed to meters.
A parking meter salesman  stated to this writer: "Coudersport has no parking problem and does not need meters. However, if the town wants them, I'll be glad to sell them."
In the face of all this the old problem keeps showing its ugly head. It should also be remembered that meters were installed here at one time and when the trial period expired they were taken out.

The people do not want them. Why must we be plagued with the same old problem?

July 1954

Had to laugh a little at a Genesee man who had his troubles with parking meters Monday. He deposited a dime. Nothing happened. He produced another with the same result.
The man was worried. He did not want to violate the law.
At long last he found the meters work only with pennies or nickels. he could put dimes in the pesky things all day and they would be like water in a sieve.

And finally, this published in December 1956

Golly fought parking meters in Coudersport . They came after a while and Golly later made up his mnd that he had been wrong – as usual.

You see, our own people were at fault for their being installed. Merchant, clerks and office workers all had to park their cars on the main business streets. They left no space for shoppers.
The meters came. All those business people, clerks and what have you, could then find parking space in side streets or back of their places of business.
Now there is room for shoppers and strangers. The parking cost is negligible.

I fed a a quarter into a mechanical bandit in downtown Coudersport and smiled!