The evening times., 1899-07-15
COMMUTERS UP In ARMS
The Interstate Commerce C0mmis
sisn Hears Their Grievances.
They Protest Against the Sudden In
crease I'm Special Passenger Rates
by the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road Company - The Arguments
ON Both sides of the CONTROVERSY

Company because OF lHt
crease in passenger rates between WASH
ingtOn and the Monumental City, appeared
before the Interstate Commerce Commis-
sion here yesterday TO protest. d. b. Mar
tin who has charge OF the railroad COM
pany's passenger traffic, appeared in be-
half of the corporation. The commuters
were represented by City Solicitor John Z.
Senmes. OF Baltimore. who was assisted
by Gaistave Kissing, also of Baltimore. The
Baltimore and Ohio was represented by H.
L. Bond. Judge Massey appeared for the
Baltimore and Potomac Railroad.
After the petition of the commuters.
which detailed their grievances, had been
read, number OF those interested testi-
fed The substance Of the testimony OF
the commuters was to the effect that by
giving a special rate for twenty-five years
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad had built
up a large Communication business between
Baltimore and Washington. Living being
cheaper in Baltimore, on account OF the
lower rents, many persons employed in the
Government departments in Washington,
or engaged in other business here. had
taken advantage of the low commutation
and quite a number had purchased homes
for which they had partly or entirely paid.
After enjoying these privileges for I
number CT years, il was alleged, they were
suddenly called upon to purchase monthly
tickets. instead OF quarterly tickets, ana
at a rate which increased the cost OF travel
about Sl1 quarter or almost 81 a week
This increased cost, in many Instances,
made considerable cut in the saving ef-
fected by living in Baltimore, and il might
be necessary, il was alleged for many OF
them TO leave Baltimore and come 10 Wash
ingUon. They agreed that the roads had
right to protect themselves against the i'm
positions OF persons who were not regular
commuters, but thought this could be done
in some other manner than by forcing the
regular commuters 10 pay more for their
tickets.
Samuel ID. Sprigg, a Baltimore manu-
facturer. was kept on the stand almost an
hour. His shipments over the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad amounted each year he
said, 10 many thousands of dollars. Not
wlrhstanding this fact, he found, when he
went to protest against an increase in the
commutation rates TO Washington from
Baltimore, that the railroad would hardly
hear his statement. He then asked 10
speak for other patrons of the road who
needed the cheaper rate more than he, but
was treated almost discourteOusly. For
twenty-three years he said he had been
using regular trip tickets from Baltimore
and never bsf1re had he railroad attempted
10 diminish the privileges accorded users of
communication tickets or to raise the price.
This last assertion provoked a debate
among the attorneys, which was not con-
cluded until Commissioner Peck gave Mr.
Bond leave 10 file a statement OF the num-
ber OF years during which such tickets had
been sold and the rates charged therefor.
Others who testified were Charles f. Fra
Zier, Siegmund Kahn, and c. NJ Ksnnard.
For the railroads the first witness call
ed was ID. b. Martin, Manager of Passen-
gen Traffic CT the Baltimore and Ohio
He was asked whether certain portions OF
the answer made by the railroads TO the
contentious of the commuters were cor
rect When he had vouched for those
statements he went on TO say that he Eai
been in the passenger service OF railroads
since 1872. and that he was familiar with
the details of the Communication trade: that
a sharp line is regularly drawn between
suburban. and commercial traffic. Mr..
Martin defined commUter properly as
man living in a small town, usually a
suburb. and doing business in a larger
town aear by, to which he Travelled every
day II was this class OF trade for which
communication tickets were designed. and
he was willing to DO what he could TO
build ii up.
Mr.. Semmes asked number of oues-
tons 10 bring out the reasons why the
roads preferred TO build up traffic between
a small town and large town rather than
between two large cities. Mr.. Martin ex-
plained that in small towns persons were
induced TO live there, although doing bust
ness in the neighboring city, because of
the cCnmUtation rates, and if the rates
We're not low, they could not live there
Between Washington and Baltimore, Il
said. he traffic WAS so large that many
persons who had no business in Wash
ington every day, but who came two or
three times a week, purchased the COM
mutation tickets designed for the regular
commuters. he mentioned commercial
travellers for Baltimore firms as an exam
pie
Mr.. Semmes quoted a number of rates
OF other railroads. particularly the Erie
Railroad, TO show that communication tick
cts on these roads were sold al much lower
rates than on the Baltimore and Ohio.
Among other rates. Mr. Semmes duoUed
oEe OF the Baltimore and Ohio Southwest
ern from Manchester TO Cincinnati. a Gis- |
tance OF forty miles, which was only Sl2 |
per month, as against S15.45 between Bal |
tlmOre and Washington
In response TO a question from Mr..
Semmes, Mr.. Martin denied the knowledge
OF an agreement between the Baltimore and
Ohio and the Pennsylvania to raise the |
Communication rates between Baltimore and
Hayre de Grace but admitted that as soon
as the Baltimore and Ohio raised its 1ates
the Pennsylvania followed suit.
Mr.. Martin was closely questioned by |
Commissioners Knapp, Prouty, and Glenn
ents as to the service between Baltimore |
and Washington. He thought Baltimore |
was not properly a Communication point, and |
even il it was, he said, the rate at which |
the $50 trip tickets were sold was too low |
TO be profitable. He did not think there |
should be any Communication tickets sold be- |
tween Baltimore and Washington. Quar- |
te-ly tickets are now sold between Laurel |
and Washington. leaving a space of about |
four miles. betwesn Annapo is Junction and /
Laurel. uncovered.
He thought there had been a decrease in |
the Communication business between Ealti- |
more and Washington, -ad il was not as |
good now as il was six or eight years ago. |
This had been explained to him as being |
partly due TO the fact that six years ago /
there were more Government clerks in |
Baltimore than live there now, the old |
ones having been replaced. He failed to |
see how anyone could be induced TO live |
in Baltimore because of the rate Of a 1
quarterly Communication ticket The system /
of having photographs attached TO the |
tickets. he said, was partially successful |
in preventing fraud. but not wholly So al /
though he could give no instances were it /
was unsuccessful.
j. r. Wood, general passenger agent of |
the Pennsylvania Railroad. was the next /
witness. His direct examination was |
conducted by Judge Massey, counsel for |
the railroad. He said the Pennsylvania /
Railroad had placed on sale the 1s0-trip |
tickets in 1855. against his advice. but be-