The evening times., 1898-05-12
TROLLEY HURTS RAILWAYS.
Steam Railways Cannot Compete
With Street Railways,

With Street Railways.
Among the new problems which are con-
stantly confronting the railroads there is
none at the present time more serious
than the question of how to meet the
competition of the electric street rail-
ways. This question is especially promi-
nent in the East, where the passenger sta
tistics of nearly every roads show n
growing decrease in the number of pas
sengers carried. The annual reports of
the Lake Shore and Michigan Central
roads issued last week and the recently
published report of the Massachusetts,
railway commissioners confirm the grav
fly of the situation. In the New England
States, where the cities are nearer to-
gether and electric car lines more numer-
ous the problem is even more serious
than in the territory of the Central Pas
senger Association.
The Lake Shore report shows that the
number of through passengers carried in
1897 was A.1S3, an increase Of 5,397 over
the previous year. or 6.S5 per cent. But
the way or local passengers last year
numbered only 4,213.562, a decrease of
227 539 persons from 1896, or 5.12 per cent.
The total decrease was 222, 142 passengers,
or 4.9l per cent. The passenger mileage
in 1897 was 2l0, ,4S7, 4o2, a decrease Of S39. 1874
passenger miles, or 80 per cent. The av-
erage distance Travelled by each passen-
ger last year was 40 miles. against 46.7
miles in 1896, an increase of % miles. The
average amount received from each pas
senger was 9S.S cents last year. against
81 the previous year. The average re-
ceipts per passenger mile fell from Eli
cents in 1886 to 2.0lS cents last year.
The Michigan Central carried last year
1922 through pa assensers, or just nifty per-
sons less than in 1896. In local travel
however, the number of passengers fell
from 9, 493. .267 in 1896 to 23S5, ,5l9 last year,
showing a total falling off in through and
local travel of .79S passengers. The de-
crease in passenger mileage was 191l sos
miles. and in the rate per passenger per
mile 0.093 cents. The average distance
Travelled by each passenger increased from
COS miles in 1886 to 62.2 miles last year
The figures from Massachusetts show a
much larger decrease in travel upon the
steam roads. In the ten years up to and
Including 1893 the number of passengers
carried on the railroads in the State in
creased at the rate Of 5.S25 900 a year. The
next four years they decreased at the rate
Of 1861 eco year. The decrease in pas
senger journey from 1893 and 1897 was more
than 100000, or 1856 per cent While
the number of journeys fell off 1855 per
cent, the passenger miles fell OFF only
6.66 per cent, showing that the average
While the panic of 1893 and the hard
times following undoubtedly tended to
diminish travel, the greatest influence in
the falling off on the Massachusetts lines
Is no doubt the trolley cars. Just what
share they had in the matter II is impos-
sible to tell. but the report of the State
railway commissioners gives some indi-
cative figures. There are six steam rail- |
ways entering Boston. These lost 1872 per !
cent of their passengers into and out of /
Boston from 1893 to 1897. There are five |
electric street railroads that enter Boston. |
and these gained in the same four years |
8l.2 per cent In the number of passengers |
carried.
Already in the East some of the steam
roads are taking steps to guard their in
terests. The Pennsylvania lines round |
about Philadelphia have been buying out
some of their street car competitors or
constructing lines of their own The
steam railroads cannot compete on even
terms with a street railway. The ques-
ton of electric power has nothing to do
with II. Neither would a large increase
In the number of trains run help to meet
the situation to any appreciable extent.
The popularity of the street railways is |
due to the fact that passengers can
board the cars at any corner and get of
Just where they want to without being
obliged to go down TO station and be
put off at another station.
An executive officer of a Chicago road
that perhaps the best policy for
the railroads to pursue would be to build
q few miles Of trolley lines at various
points along their own line and bring the |
passengers from the surrounding coun-
Try. These lines would be connected with
heir own tracks, and the road could car
" the passengers between the neighbor-
ng towns either over their own rails or
,n a separate track along their right of
way.
Recent reports of passenger business
rom nearly every Eastern line indicate
plainly that something must soon be done
4 the roads are to retain their present
hold on local business. Such business is
lar more profitable than through busi-
ness to competitive points.