Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-20
reduced and less power is required for the

reduced and less power is required for the
moving of it,
Now take the situation over in the New
England states. 1t is almost certain that
the railroads over there will have to fight
for their lives, so to speak, this summer
against the trolley lines. This fact has i'm
roads whose tracks lie chiefly in the states
of Connecticut. Rhode Island and Massa-
chusetts. 1t is in that neighborhood that
the trolley lines have increased at a great
er ratio than in any other part of the coun-
try. The electric lines have been run out
in all directions from the principal cities
of these states. in majority of cases par
alleling steam railroads and largely reduc-
ing their traffic and receipts.
DwindlinE Railroad Receipts.
THE greatest railroad in that section of
the country has lessened Its train service
on some of it's branch lines from this cause.
and in its last annual report it said that it
would be compelled to pursue the same
plan wherever its revenue wass decreased
by competition with the trolley. The re-
ceipts between Boston and Maiden on this
railroad have fallen off 50 per cent on ac
count of cheap fares on the electric lines
running between those places, and another
steam line running to summer resorts in
that vicinity has suffered the same pro-
portion of loss in traffic.
The competition from electricity which
the steam railroads will experience will for
some time at least be on branch lines and
in suburban traffic The trolley lines pay
nothing for their right of way, and, de-
| manding only comparatively a small invest
ment. and able to run their cars cheaply,
| can give service much below the price at
which steam lines can afford 1t. AS an il
lustration of how cheaply passengers can
| be carried by the trolley lines; take the
| case of the line running from Boston to
| Marblehead, distance of twenty-one
| miles, the fare of which for the whole dis
| lance is eighteen cents. Excursions from
| around Boston.
| gate over sixty miles. can be made on troll
| ley cars at a total cost of ninety cents, or
| at the rate of one and a half cents mile.
| On a well-patronized route, doubtless, the
| fare could be placed as low as one cent a
| mile and still a good profit returned, as it
! has been demonstrated that the cost of the
1 motive power for trolley Is fraction
| under three ceats mile.
| Plans of the Railroads.
notwithstanding this favorable show
ing by the trolley lines. you can rest as
sured that the railroads will not go out of
| business but, to use 4 well-known express
| sion, are laying low They have one great
| advantage over their electric rivals, and
| that is the possession Of right of way and
! laid track that is all their own. They are
subject to few Of the Inconvenience that
| are inseparable from operating a railroad
| on public highway or through the crowded
streets of city. This will enable us to
adopt the trolley on our roads. connecting
| cities, and run trains at~a higher rate Of
speed and with fewer Instructions than
| cars can be run on the ordinary trolley
line. And, you know. speed and cheapness
are the elements that will tell in the long
| run.
Between Philadelphia and New York we
have four tracks. or more accurately
speaking, Jersey City. If We equip two of
these tracks with electricity and run cars
ct the rate of mile minute, at pas
| senger rate of one cent mile, we can
laugh at the proposed competition of pro-
jected rivals. The same situation applies
to the roads running out of Washington.
All the roads will have to adopt some such
system, and when they do the present
situation will be reversed in favor of the
| railroads.
Before I came to Washington I went
over the situation in New England and had
quite talk with the vice president Of the
biggest road over there. We had quite an
interesting conversation, and he gave me
figures from the actual business records OF
the accounting department of his company
fer the past three months, showing the in
roads made upon their receipts by the troll
ley lines, and 1 must say they were eye
openers for me.
Influence on Wages.
Nineteen cases were quoted Of stations
between which there had been falling off
Between the first two stations there had
been a depreciation Of fifty per cent of the