Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-03-05
CHEAPER RIDES ON sREEET CARS
An Authority Says Fares May be Reg
ulated by City Ordinances.

comeS from the pen OF PROFESSOR FRANK
Parsons, in the current number of an
eastern magazine. Professor Parsons
bases his computations on engineering
authorities of the highest charcter and
the reports of numerous trolley COM
panies In the United States According
TO the latter reports the receipts per
car mile average 35 to so cents in
/ Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and New
York. The cost of operating trolley
I system is shown to be about 10 IL
cents per mile. The total cost, includ-
/ ing labor, materials, repairs, interest,
taxes. insurance and depreciation, is
less than IA cents for each mile that &
car Is run. Two-fiftbl of the present
scent fares would. therefore be suffi-
/ Client to pay the total cost OF trans
! portation, including depreciation and
46 per cent interest on the actual in
yestment. The average earnings of a
trolley car is about $40 per day, while
the cost of operation is from $40 to S12,
and fixed charges from $3.50 to SO per
4 day. According to these figures g.
cent fare would allow a large margin
of profit, not less than one-third of the
gross receipts
The author Of the article quoted
shows that this profit at a 3-cent rate
of fare is based on a traffic supposedly
remaining no larger than at present,
while as matter of fact the traffic
would be greatly increased with the
reduced fares in operation In Savan-
nah, Ga, street ear fares have been
lowered to cent with the result that
gross receipts have been increased in
stead of diminished, and a good profit
realized even at this low rate The
reason given is that it costs little more
to run full car than an empty one,
and that expenses of operation do not
increase in proportion to the increase
of traffic. The broad calculation is
made that if fares were reduced to
3 cents in the large cities the increase
of business would so far diminish the
average cost per passenger that so per
cent of the gross receipts would be
profit 1t is even held that 2-cent
fare would still leave 80 per cent profit,
owing to the increased business that
would result from the reduction. 1t is
pointed out that in Glasgow, Scotland,
where the average of all car fares is
below cents, substantial profit is
realized In Glasgow the cars are
moved by horse power, which the re-
ports of all companies show to be more
! expensive than electricity.
i In Toronto, Canada, where there is
/ graded system of fares, workingmen's
/ tickets are sold morning and evening
at Scent rate,and the city reaps
large revenue from the corporation
I that leases. but does not own the sys
/ tenn The city of Toronto exacts from
to 20 per cent on the gross receipts
of the company, according to their
/ volume, and also regulates the number
/ OF cars to be run, the speed, the i'm
j provements to be introduced, repairs of
4 streets, removal of snow, the keeping
of accounts and other essential details.
The experience of Philadelphia. which
/ is suffering from monopoly of traction
interests in much the same way as
Chicago, is cited by Professor Parsons
as an instance of the burdens placed on
the public by a grossly watered capit-
aliZation in the hands OF INSCRIPTIONS
corporations.
4 What ought to be done he says, is
to make the railways public, establish
uniform Scent fare, with free trans
fers al every point, run trains Ct trail
ers morning and night and at all times
sufficient number of cars to seat all
i travellers; warm all the cars with cleo
rc radiators; protect the motormen
with yestibules; reduce the hours OF
service to eight; remove the rough rail
that ridge the surface of oul streets,
and lay the smooth track, take down
the dangerous, ugly overhead wires, the
net of death that destroys the safety
and beauty of the streets, and put in
the underground trolley, or, better
still. the storage system, which is in
successful operation in Paris, and is
not only great deal cheaper in con-
truction, but much less expensive in
operation and infinitely preferable on
the ground Of public safety and on
aesthetic considerations. When the
profits had paid for the roads and i'm
provements the fare could be reduced
TO cents. Such a reduction would
probably be justified before the roads
were free of debt, and ultimately there
would be no difficulty about making a
uniform 1-cent rate without mourning
deficit or reducing the margin OF
profit below the sum necessary to pro-
vide for Improvements and deprecia-
ton.
Perhaps the most important conclu-
sion after reviewing the average legis-
lation under which street car COM
panies hold present ordinances is that
a city has the right, without buying
the roads, to regulate fares, require
clean. warm cars in sufficient number
to accommodate the public provide for
the protection of motormen, diminish