The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-06-21
Ancrolntion In RailroadIng.

The business of transportation was not
mastered in the first fifty years Of us exist
ence. and the indications are that 1t is about
TO undergo "a revolution almost as great as the
abortion of the railroad system itself Inc
experiment. made in Austria and Hungary
have opened the eyes OF the world % the pos
sibiities Of transportation at low rates. NTH
a few years ago no one thought Of anything
but mileage IS the basis OF passenger fare,
bat now the zone system las demon
strated that mileage Is not the true
basis. for 10 does not represent the
cost. which * much less for long
than for short distances. Ia Hungary the
faro is the same from q central point TO any
station within the first twenty-five hlomcteTs
and after that it is changed every hiteen kl-o-
meters up 20 175. The next two zones. are
twenty five kllometers wide, and beyond the
18th zone. which reaches the 9Th klometer
post. the fare IS the same 60 the limits OF the
country. all beyond the 18Th zone beng des.g-
mated the 1fh zone and charged for only
twenty-five kilomctcrs more than the 18th.
The tickets are for express trains -, - and j.
cents for first. second and thrd-class fare
per zone. You pay that 10 g. any
where i'm the first twenty-five bllOme-
ters and for any point in the I'd zone you pay
As. 40 and a cents respectively on express
trains On accommodation trans you pay
little loss-I0. - and 40 cents per zone. mus
passenger on an express tram, gong 70 inc
end Of the 18th zone, distance OF - kllO-
meters or about l4Omilo- would pay thirteen
times the zone fare, or 1912 for hrst class,
-. go for second. and 81. j6 for third. For all
distances beyond that only one zone fare, OF
"a 90 and r. cents additional for first, second
and third class is charged. As 1t is possible
i'm Hungary TO travel 73l kilometers. or about
l57 miles, that distance may bee covered on
an express train for %. a. 81 and1 - ms
is only TO. Ia and Il of q cent per mile The
rate up to the end of the 18th zone, or l4O
miles is %. IL and III cents o mile The ex-
tent of reduction from old rates is shown by
the rates from Bula-pesth 20 kronstadt,
which were heretofore A. 81 and - gulden.
Now they are So q and gulden-a reduction
of ~ per cent The result was an increase OF
i33 per cent in the number OF passengers
during the first five months and 1863 per cent.
in the first eight. Travel between nelghDOr-
ng stations was increased IN far greater ratio
the number of local passengers rising III tho
first eighth months from quarter OF "a lnulou
10 four and quarter mIlon-nemy
twenty fold There is an extra charge for
ba-gage amounting To- ten cents hundred
pounds for llty-fye kil0meters twenty cents
uD 60 one hundred Alometers, and forty cents
beyond that From i00t0 30 pounds tins rate
is doubled and beyondthat Quadruplcd. The
germ of this idea is IN our suburban commu-
tat0n tickets, which are not sold on "a
mileage basis. but If so rated would average
d ont cent a mile. The idea of the zone
system Of railway fares Is ,ald TO have arisen
from the postal system of the nlted states,
where letters are carried 70 any part Of the
country Tor tho same fee Altogether the
eubiect is most promising one. and tho sue
cess of the experiments IN Hungary has SO lm-
pressed other countries that the zone system
has been adopten ia Austria. and is being ser
iouslv considered in France and Germany
Atlanta Constitution.