Evening star., 1898-08-08
PLEA FOR A SINGLE FARE
Also q Continuous Ride to Any Point in
the District.
Some of the Phases of Reciprocal
City and Suburban Railroads.

Street railroad men continue to discuss
the subject Of trackage arrangements be-
tween the city and the suburban roads and
citizens who are interested in the develop
ment of suburban property naturally are
locking into the matter. AS no actual steps
have been taken to bring about such an
arrangement since the petition was filed in
court some days ago by the Brightwood
Company asking the court that the law
requiring reciprocal trackage arrangements
to be made between the Metropolitan and
connecting lines be carried out.
1t is not expected that this proceeding
will result in any prompt settlement of the
case, and in the meantime the discussion
goes on over the various phases of the sit
uation, which is recognized to be Of great
consequence in the future of the railroads
as we'll of the city. In the opinion OF
some who have given this subject attention,
1t is believed that Congress has already
declared the basis upon which business be-
tween city and suburban roaos should De
carried on.
What the Law Says.
The particular law quoted In this con-
Eection is the one that was approved Feb
ruary 26, 1898, and v kich contains the fol-
lowing clause: THAT the Brightwood
Railway Company, the Rock Creek Rail-
Tenleytown Railway Company be and they
are hereby respectively authorized and re-
Quired to sell fCu coupon tickets Tor 70
cents, good for one continuous ride In the
District of Columbia over the lines OF said
companies, respectively. and the lines or
the Metropolitan Railroad Company. and
the said suburban reads shall redeem the
tickets collected by the Metropolitan Rail
road Company at the rate of 2k cents Tor
each coupon ticket presented by the said
METROPOLITAN Railroad Company.
1t Is stated that this is the basis of set
Elements at present between the companies
for the tickets of the class referred to.
The city road gets two-ffths and the coun-
try road gets three-fifths. 1t is further as
serted by some who are interested in SUBJ
urban roads that such basis for the diVls-
ion of the fares would be acceptable TO the
suburban roads in the event the present
city street railroad fares are applied to the
entire District.
Pay for Transfers.
In other words it is said that as far as
the public is concerned, there should be
one fare for ride to any point in the Dis
trct of Columbia, and when the junction
is reached between an urban and a sub
urban road the passengers should be given
transfers Instead however, Of making an
equal division of the fares between the
reads, as would be done If the transfers
were used on the present basis, the sub
urban roads would get three-ffths and the
city roads two-fifths of the value Of the
transfers ..-
1t is asserted that an equal division
which such a use of transfers would mean
would simply result in tho extinction of
the suburban road, for the reason that 1t
would divide practically the whole OF hs
business with the city road while the lat
ter would only div; lie a small portion Of its
business. 1t is therefore claimed that the
system of transfers, except for money con-
sideration, would be suicidal for the coun-
try road. and hence all propositions of this
sort have been uniformly rejected
Also a Continuous Ride.
1t is thought by some such an arrange
nient will be the outcome of the present
effort that Is being made to enforce the
law of Congress in requiring reciprocal
trackage arrangements between connect
irg city and suburban roads. The repre-
sentatives of some of the suburban roads
ore Indifferent whether or not arrange
inents sre made for the cars of two con-
Meeting roads to run over the respective
tracks as long as they can have a transfer
arrangement on the lines above stated.
Others. however, are of the opinion that
the meaning of the law as we'll as the de-
sire of the public, is not only for the single
street car fare within the District. but for
the continuous ride, SO that there would be
no need to change cars at the bounds of
the city,