St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-10
The Chamber of Commerce
Wants Lower Fares Be-
tween the Twin Cities.
Report of a Joint Committee
From st. Paul and Mime
apolis Organizations.
Both Sides Of the Question
Presented by the Official
Correspondence.
Shall There Be Wine at the
Banquet To-Night?--M Minor
Business.

After two weeks vacation the cham
Der of commerce met i'll the old rooms,
newly arranged and greatly improved.
The principal business considered was
the report of the committee APP
pointed by the chamber of commerce of
st. Paul and by the committee from the
board of trade of Minneapolis in regard
to the transportation between these two
cities. The report was as follows:
To the st. Paul Chamber of Commerce
and the Board of Trade of Mime
apolis:
The committees respectively charged
by YOU with the duty of investigating
the rates now and heretofore prevail
ing for transportation between the two
cities and for procuring lower rates for
such transportation, if a reduction
should appear to be reasonable and pro-
durable, respectfully report that they
have had the matter under cOnSidera-
ton; that they have obtained infOrma-
ton as TO rates prevailing for like
suburban ana interurban transportation
at other places; have had personal con-
ferenceS with managers of two of the
roads doing the transportation, and cor
reSpondence with all of them. Your
committees are of the opinion that under
the circumstances reduction in the
prevailing rates is due to the public and
should be made by the railway COM
panieS, but except the promise of 100
rides tickets at SIS each, limited to sixty
days, no concession has thus far been
obtained or promised. The argument
OF the committees for the reduction re-
QueSted and the reasons of the railroad
managers for declining to make any
such reduction are set forth in the cor
reSpOndence herewith submitted. 1t is
probably as concise as could be expected
i'll view OF the subject, and in justice to
the committees and to the managers, it
is suggested that it should be published
in full if at all. &C. MERR1MAN,
Chairman Minneapolis Committee.
J. W. BISHOP,
Chairman ST. Paul Committee.
The report was accompanied with a
long correspondence between the COM
mIttee and the managers of the rail
roads. Here is what the committee
wanted.
FROM THE COMMITTEE.
ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS, Mimi,
Nov. Is. 1SS7.-To Roswell Miller. Chi
cagO, Milwaukee & ST. Paul railway: J.
j. Hill, St. Paul. Minneapolis Il Mani
toba railway; w. Fl. Truesdale. Mime
apOliS K st. Louis railway: The Joint
Chamber of Commerce and the Mime
apoliS Board of Trade to consider the
rates OF fare now prevailing for local
passengers between the two cities, and
to confer with the officers of the rail-
roads for the purpose of procuring
lower rates for such passengers, respect
fully submit for your consideration.
That of sixteen railroads, whose rates
for suburban and interurban travel for
AIN IL hot
miles have been reported to US. six run
out from New York city, two from
Boston. one from Philadelphia, one from
PlttSburg, two from Cincinnati and four
from Chicago.
OF these roads five make the single
ticket rate of 80 cents, as is made by
our roads here, and the other eleven
roads make it from II cents to % cents,
averaging "A LIE cents.
Of the sixteen roads twelve make
round trip rates from 25 cents to SIS
cents, averaging AZ 2-10 cents each,
while our roads here charge so cents.
Of the Is roads make 25-ride ticket
rates from $3.50 to S3.15, averaging
S2.S7l%. while our roads charge S..
Of the IL roads 6 make Stride tickets
from S4.05 to ST, averaging 1904, while
our roads charge $40.
Of the l6 roads make 12-mOnths
tickets from $50 to s65, averaging $3.50.
We have no mtimation from any of
the sixteen roads that the rates given
are to them unremunerative or unsatis-
factory.
We submit further, that of the rail
roads running out of st. Paul the Chi
cagO, Burlington IL Northern makes to
and from st. Paul Park, nine miles.
local rates for single tickets. 10 cents;
round trip 20 cents; 10 rides, so cents,
and % rides, S1.50; tickets good till used,
The Wisconsin Central makes local
rates to and from North st, Paul, eight
miles, single tickets, ID cents: round
trip, p cents; twenty-five rides, 81. good
three months. We are informed that
this road, in making these rates as an
experiment. required guaranty of the
tram expenses for time, but that the
trains having proved remunerative the
guarantOrs have not been called on.
The Minnesota & Northwestern
makes local rates to and from Inver
Grove, eight miles, for single tickets 7
cents, and for ten rides 80 cents, uniim-
tied as to time, No one who has re-
Gently been on these trains can doubt
that they are profitable trains at the
present rates.
We submit. therefore, that while most
OF the lower rates above quoted to you
are suburban rates on travel which I'M
equally loads the trains and requires
frequent Stoppage to receive and dis
charge passengers, the interurban
travel under consideration here is large.
regular and about equal from each
terminal, and that the number of inter-
mediate passengers compared with the
through is too small to qualify its char
acter as substantially through business.
We are Informed and believe that the
number of such interurban tickets sold.
excluding all way or free passengers.
and all passengers going beyond either
city to the lakes or elsewhere, and all
mileage tickets, was about 100000 for
each of the months of June, July and
August. 1887, and over 10000 for the
month OF September, and that this in
terurban travel is increasing even at
present rates, and would very rapidly
increase were the rates reduced to rea-
sonable and proper figures for such kind
and volume of business.
We submit that when all the principal
railroads IN the country are voluntarily
making mileage tickets good over ali
their lines, and in some cases over each
others lines, at cents per mile, it is
not reasonable OF proper to charge 3
cents per mile over that part of the road
between the two cities.
The interurban rates should be made
so cheap and trains run so frequently
that they will become an habitual con-
venience, not only to the people of both
cities who have to travel on them, or to
whom the price of ticket is of no con-
sequence, but that the people generally
OF the two cities may use them as thew
do the street cars, without thought of
the expense, trifiing as to the individual.
but large enough in the aggregate to
bring liberal and satisfactory revenue
to the railroad companies.
With reasonable rates the people of
the two cities would interchange bust
ness and social visits more freely month
by month. and come not far hence to
feel pnnallN at home in nithnr. fhnt tl,o