The New Orleans crescent., 1868-12-03
RAILWAY FAREs.-CHEAPNEs AND UNI
FORMITY.

Some years ago the people of England were
astonished by the proposition of Sir Row.
land Hill to reduce the postage to what
seemed an absurdly low rate. Adam Smith
had announced the truths of political economy
nearly eighty years before that time. But
abstract truths are slow to make their way
unless illustrated by concrete facts; and it
of the increase of business which it would
insure, would produce greater revenue than
high rate. By dint of good deal of hard
work Sir Rowland Hill at last succeeded, and
the result proved the sagacity of his conclu-
sions Perhaps, after a while, people will
come to understand that the final reform of
the postofice system consists in remitting to
the hands of private enterprise, where it
really belongs. Just at present, however,
when it is the fashion to attribute to govern
ments all sorts of incongruous functions, it
would be useless to argue such proposition,
plain as it is. 1t was not our intention to
argue this point, but merely to refer to
another project recently started in England,
of the same nature as Sir Rowland Hills but
even more startling. Taking the postage
system of uniform rates as a basis,
a Mr.. Braddon, of England, proposes
to extend the principle of cheap
rates to railway fares. He shows that, in the
year 1865, 3,500,OO0 passenger trains ran
II, ZOO, 600 miles and carried 252, 900, 900 pas
sengers. The amount of fares received was
e14, 724, ,302, or about s7S, 100000, giving an
average of 21 miles and 73 passengers for
each train, or 81 passengers per mile, and an
average fare, for the average journey, of four
teen pence, or about 2S cents. 1t is plain that
the same results as to receipts would have
been reached, by adopting the average
fare as a standard for all journeys, whilst a
good deal would have been saved by avoiding
now required. But, in this case the short
journeys would pay for the long ones, which
would hardly be fair. To avert this difficulty
Mr.. Braddon proposes to reduce the fare to
a uniform rate of three pence, or six cents for
all distances for third class; double that
amount for second class, and treble for first
class fares. He estimates that reduction of
fare would insure an increase of revenue from
fourteen million pounds to thirty-two million;
an estimate based on the effect of reduced
rates OF postage on tre postorfcc- fccerpvss-
If such g system were practicable it
would undoubtedly lead to these results,
and might be practicable in England
without being practicable in the United
States. Itwould be impossible, at present, to
arrange a perfect understanding among the
numerous railway companies, SO as to secure
uniformity of fare for long distances. Nor,
perhaps, would it be desirable, in view of the
effect of such an arrangement in cutting off
competition, and in thus making these cor
porations entirely independent of the salu-
tary vigilance of public opinion. Neverthe-
less, it remains a truth that low fares will
produce more revenue than high fares, and
that uniform system is cheaper than a
complex system. 1t would be worth while
for the great railway companies to inquire
how far these changes might be introduced
with benefit to the companies and to the pub
lie. Take single line of road by way of il
lustrstion-say the Jackson railroad; or the
Jackson and the Mississippi Central together.
There can be no doubt, We think, that the
high rates charged on these roads, and We
may say on all other Southern roads, operate
as a serious hindrance to travel. Whether or
not this proposition is true absolutely, it is
true relatively-that is to say lower rates would
attract q large number of persons who,
at present never think of taking journey.
II the price of travail for all d;sfapoac hatvaap
New Orleans and Humboldt were placed at,