The morning call., 1893-07-08
CHEAP CAR FARES.
Give School Children a
Reduction.
PUBLIC PRESSURE REQUIRED.
A View of the Question Which the
Corporations Find Difficult
to Accept.
PUBLIC PRESSURE REQUIRED

~ HSSSRSs
THE CALL last Sunday laid before It's
readers subject for contemplation 'ha'
suggests a much.needed reform ana one
that 1t believes will result TO the advantage
of all ho may be affected by its introduce
ton That 1T has struck responsive
chord in the public mind is amply evil
denced by the correspondence it has de-
veloped bearing on its suggestion 1or
cheaper car fares on our city railroads.
Encouraged by these letters, and desir-
ing to have free and impartial discussion
of the question from every point Of view
which is available, a reporter OF The CALL
visited the presidents of some OF the lead
ing streetcar companies yesterday for the
purpose OF affordipg them an opportunity
of expressing their opinions and ob]ec-
tons. If they entertained any. to the
proposition. In order not to cOmplicate
the subject the discussion was restricted
to the practicability of making half rate
for school children.
A full and free discussion was entered
into cheerfuIly by each gentleman who
was visited, but in no case was any dis
position manifested to entertain the idea
practically or even to admit its practical
bilty.
OF the five gentlemen who have been
seen, representing the Market-street, On
nibus. Sutter-street, California-street and
Union-street lines, four admitted that
their lines were paving dividends to their
stock holders, notwithstanding that with
scent fare prevailing the cost of carry
ing passengers was from 4 to AZ cents
each, and yet they could not see how it
was practicable to reduce rates for carry
ing school children, as the end would not
seem IT, justify the means, and the result
would be to complicate their business and
increase the possibilities Of conductors to
manipulate the revenues of the company
for their own personal benefit. Some were
afraid of abuses of the privilege arising
and members of families using the tickets
who were not entitled to do so. Others
argued that the present system OF transfer
with other lines would interfere, as it
would require them, assuming that the
fare for school children was put at 21a
cents. TO carry every such passenger Tor
nothing when transfer ticket was issued.
To The CALLS suggestion that on their
own theory'that the transfer tickets issued
about equaliZed themselves, their postulate
was in measure at fault; they replied
that in such case the transfer would result
in requiring them to carry two persons for
21a cents or TX cents each. This suggested
the proposition that from an economic
standpoint the companies would still be
ahead just that much. as the theory on
which the suggestion Of reduced rates for
school children was based was that very
large part of the revenue from this source
would be entirely new, which would be
obta inab BILE only through this medium. and
OF 10 be looked for If the present rates be
maintained. while the cost Of operating
the cars would not be increased one cent.
To illustrate: A company develops suf-
ficient power every day to move its cars,
and whether the cars run full or empty the
standard of power has to be maintained.
By the admission of some Of the officials
who were talked to the school children at
present nearly all walk to school. to
save the expense in some cases. in
others from. inability of their parents to
reasons.
Assuming that the fare should be re-
dued to 2b cents, will not many children
be allowed to ride who now have to walk.
Yes, they say, but how are we to distin-
guish between children going TO school or
children riding for pleasure. or between
school children and their other sisters or
brothers. who are not attending school?
The reporter then showed them book of
tickets. such s are used in many Eastern
cities, as an answer to these questions.
These books" he said. "are issued con-
tanning 20, 5U ana lUO TICKETS, anu the con-
ductor is required to tear one ticket out
for each fare. Now, assuming that the
largest part of these books are sold to
people who would rarely, if ever, ride. If
they could not buy them. why do you need
to bother yourselves as to whether the
holder Of the book is going to school or out
for pleasure, or whether it is school
child or an older sister or brother? The
sooner the tickets that book contains are
used up the sooner you will be able to sell
another, and as all or the major portion
of this traffic is such as you would not
otherw wise get, are you not by this means
increasing your revenues just that much
without increasing your operating ex-
penses?"
As an economic question, however. it
was impossible to obtain decided opin-
ion from any of the gentlemen visited,
but they all agreed that the reduc-
ton was not practicable. and it could only
be inferred that those companies which
are now paying dividends are satisfied
with their present profits and that those
which are not paying dividends do not
deem 1t safe to extend their business ex-
perimentally.
The CALL will continue to agitate this
question and will from time to time pre-
sent the views of those of the community
who are best qualified to view the subject
impartialy and fairly.