The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-01-17
Impending Between q. y. and n. F.
The Hungarian Zone System.

The conference OF officials of transcontnentsl
railroads meets az st. Paul again toiay and viii
renew the attempt 10 agree on freight and pas
senger tariffs, bat little hope of a settlement at
the present time is INDUCED, according 70 the
expressions OF opinion wrung from some OF the
officials by tue St Paul papers prominent
Official" is quoted By the Globe as summing up
the situation thus:
The traffic managers, passenger agents and all
their clerical belongings are, OF course. but the
executors OF the viii Of the two giants who are
pulling the strings. The "amlcaD bic contest
now on between tie executive officers during
the rae adjustment conference, wni G OF great
importance To the shipping and travelling pup
Hc. is but unit In the problem ag tat ng the
rea leaders in the coaest--a contest Tor sup-eni-
aey in ne transcontineatal traffic field. he re-
suits Of the present conference VIII be ar reacE-
ing. affecting the Union Paine, santa re. taila'
dian Pacific and, in fact, every trunk iIne in tho
country. This result " II stfect every big line
in the country, ana w'll be auxIou~iy awaited
by every rail way magnate IN the United states
Dir. Hill is believed By many TO De master OF the
situation, ant II would be interesting 10 OBJ
serve the different moves OF the local diplomats
during the conference, which will PROBABLY ex-
tend over another week. The traffic men OF the
Great Northern able and efficient ambassa-
doris, and they are confronted with equally able
conierees. If the purely physical aspects OF the
situation are In favor of the Great Northern,
Is has been persistently claimed by lis
friends, that corporation will dictate terms
which its competitors must aoide oy.
II, on the other hand. it is demonstrated
that its great rival can establish
its ability 10 maintain present tariffs. the fight
OF the traffic men will probably result IN a
drawn battle. II the meantime the fnanciers
If Gotham, who in the end control railway
values. will probably stteinrt and perhaps carry
through some startling coup d eta that may in
the near future entirely revolutloniz5 the man
saement of more than one OF the great trans
sentimental common carriers. The preliminares
OF the great contest for supremacy are being
wsged right here in St Paul. The general
engagement may extend to Manhattan.
The Hungarian zone system, which the Great
,rthern is said to contemplate adopting,
was introduced in Hungary in August, 1889, and
was so successful that in ten months the num-
Der of passengers increased from S,6j5,000 10 TO-.
Cos, 900, and has since been adopted in Austria
aud Belgium. The san Francisco Chronicle says
OF IL:
The system is peculiarly adapted to countries
where the government owns the railroads,
though in countries such England and the
United states il would be, admittedly, more
difficult OF adoption for the reason that ii re-
quires perfect cooperation OF all the roads in
any territory in which IL may be operated.
According to this system a railroad Is divided
into zones, any point being chosen a center,
and from 1t III either direction the zones are
mapped on. The first zone is fifteen mi les long,
the second is from over fifteen to twenty-five
miles from the starting point, and each succeed
Ing zone up to the end ~ the eleventh Is ten
miles long. The twelfth zone Is fifteen miles
long or $50 miles from the starting point to its
extreme limit. the thirteenth is fifteen miles
farther aud the fourteenth zone Il OF indefinite
length. The zones are not definite geoCrap hicai
positions. but vary according 10 the place from
which passenger starts. he first zone Is
made fifteen miles long TO encourage local travel
between the starting point and the limits OF the
zone; the twelfth, thirteenth anu espec! ally the
fourteenth 10 encourage long distance travel.
The feature Of the system Is that to travel
over any one zone from end 20 end costs the
same 10 travel between any two points i'll the
zone. To travel from one zone 20 another the
cost is the same TO travel from the starting
point OF one one 10 the lar limit OF the second
zone, so that IL costs just much 10 vel six
teen miles e. twenty five, AMI II the passenger
wants To travel twenty-7lx miles he pays as
much rs TO travel thirty-nve miles. Tie great
advantage OF the system Is It's uniformity and
the moderation of its charges A passenger
knows exactly what il i, going 10 cost him 10 so
10 any point, provided Ee knows the cost by
mile and the distance. Thus II his destination
be nity-hye miles from the starting point u is
At the end al the hftn zone. and thc price will
be 1--WE times the cost OF travelling over the first
zone. Al the end of the thirteenth zone or to
any point in that gone the price isShirteen
times the cost Of the journey 10 any point i'll the
FIRST zone, and the tOurteeatn zone being in ,eii-
mite in seng n, fourteen times the price oi travel
in the fast zone VIII pay or travel 10 the most
distant point on The iue.