The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-11-20

for going about from one Iart Of the oour,
try TO another on the railways In the United
States than his counterpart IN any OF the
leading civilized countries of Europe. The
figures given above show that increased
traffic Will respond to lower rates. large
and profitable traffic is impossible except
by adopting such mcthooS as snail reach
class of people now scarcely touched Al all
namely. the great bulk of the population
who cannot afford to pay hign prices Tor
railrC I'D travel.
THE last reports of the Interstate-com-
merce Commission show that the average
train in the United States, consisting or q
baggage and smoking car or "a confined
baggage and smoker and two passenger
coaches containing seats for from 10 10
l5c people. runs regularly With only tilte
carry double or treble the number OF pas
sengers, therefore, on the average. without
any aprreciable incress in their expenses
IL seems likely that a considerable lowering
or rates would be followed by such develop
ment of the traffic would certainly re-
coup the railroads and prevent them from I'm
losing by the experiment, while IL would be
an enormous extension of convenience TO
the travelling public.
Recent Investigations into the history of
the stage coach in Germany show that the
price per mile for riding Oh the post wagon
of the sixteenth century was almost eX-
actly the same as Is now demanded Tor
first and second-class fares in Germany,
which are trifie lower than our ordinary
first-claSs fares in this country-that is, II
we had the same convenience in the way
of good roads Germany one could have
ridden from Philadelphia to New York II
the inside of a stage coach in the last
century for the same money as now by
fail
1.-The railways have increased immensely
the facilities offered the travelling public
in the way Ct number OF trains and accom-
modations within the trains. And the av-
erage income Of the road has fallen from
1870 to 1895. But this fall does not corre-
spond with the fall in other departments,
nor is it sufficient to develop the Tossihlf-
ties of the passenger traffic. 1t is believed
by some that rate of 50 from CnicaSo to
New York would remuner1te the railroads
for their services, considering the enormous
increase in traffic which would surely result
from such a reduction in rates"
Fortune. who presided at the meeting, in
vited responses from any persons present
and also suggested that questions be asked
Professor James along the line of thought
discussed. j. S. Lazarus. of the l., d. & w.
road thought the conditions in this country
were generally so different that European
comparisons were unfair. In Europe. he
said, the population is so dense that there
is a possibility of carrying so many more
passengers to the mile that it could be
done more economically than here. The
pean methods being introduced here was
the fact of private ownership OF roads and
so many different arrangements. Mr.. LaZ-
aruS agreed with Professor James that the
fare between New York and Philadelphia
is outrageous. There, he said. the coIdi-
rope and a much lower fare ought to pre-
vail
The subject was discussed briefly by sew
eral gentlemen present