Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-02
REGULATING FARES
Bill Discussed by Washington Trac-
ton Company's President.
OFFERS OPPORTUNITY TO DEFRAUD
Street Car Rates as Low as in
Other Cities.
THE TRANSFER SYSTEM

THE TRANSFER SYSTEM
President George Truesden of the Wash
ington Traction Company, whose views of
House bill 54I7 entitled "a bill to regulate
flares upon street cars in Washington ETC.,
rwere recently solicited, has addressed
communication to Capt. Lansing H. Beach,
Engineer Commissioner of the District.
which is as follows:
wering your letter OF the 18th in
slant in which you request my views in
,writins upon H. r. 5417. entitled a bill to
REGULATE fares upon street cars in the city
.of Washington. District of Columbia etc,
Il respec fully submit the following:
. Section o. said bill, if enacted into law,
. would abolish all existing safeguards which
Lthe street car companies have found 1t
necessary to establish for their own pro-
lection, in connection with the present lib
,eral and satisfactory transfer system, by
making a transfer good in any direction
ION the next regular car of any line operated
Tor controlled by the issuing company. pro-
Side1 it he presented within fifteen minutes
of the time he passenger left the car upon
v hch il received
Section . requires the sale all cars
between :,:45 a and pm. of eight tick
/ cts for - cents. carrying the same rights
i for passengers paying the full fare of 8
tCents. If presented within those hours. 1t
saIso requires the sale between pm. and
HE'S I'm. of six tickets for p cents, each
ticket carrying the same rights and priv
ileges given in the first section to passen-
gers paying the full cash fare OFFS cents.
The objections to this section from the
ErailrOaa point of view are so serious that,
In behalf of the companies l represent. l
lhespeak from the honorable board of Conn
Tuissioners their careful consideration
eli fr.,r, tha fifpTi n
trate of fare. the proposal to establish by
law three different rates of fare at differ
ent hours Of the day is fraught with great
loss and mischief to the railroad com
panies. without. 1t Is believed, correspond
Eing benefit to their patrons.
source of Trouble and Loss
Already the difference between the value
Of a street car ticket and the cash fare of
EB cents is a source of considerable trouble
land loss to the railroad companies, afford
Ing. as it does. abundant opportunity to de-
fraud them, and encouraging those who
may be so disposed to do so. II now we
{ still further complicate the situation by
! adding a third and still lower rate of fare
at certain hours of the day the indirect
kloSses to the companies will be largely IN
! creased and disputes between passengers
and conductors growing out of variation
Tin watches would be a fruitful source of
Friction and possible litigation.
: Important as these objections appear to
, be to the railroad companies. they seem
trivial when cOntraSted with the objection
TO the main purpose of the bill To establish
practically by law all street railroads in
the District OF Columbia scent fares, ac-
compau MED by a transfer system capable of
infinite abuse, which would still further re-
duce the average rate from Ia TO cents
.per passenger. This large reduction in the
price az street car tickets from 1-6 to 31s
cents amounting to % per cent, supple
, mertel by a further reduction of from p
TO 81 per cent resulting from the proposed
tam he led
al all. Upon the ground that the companies
! are r"w receiving an unusually high rate
which Yields them excessive profits. out of
J propD: lion to the risk incurred and capital
fnVeS. I'd that the reduced rate of fare
would -, largely increase the traffic as to
make Up the reduction in the price of
tickets
..Rut inasnuch as the present rate of fare
in the District Of Columbia is as low it
is in any other city in the United States.
and with perhaps TWO or three exceptions,
in the world. and the receipts or earnings
per passenger less than in any city Of equal
size in the world. ii cannot be said that our
rate j. unusually high. nor can it. in view
of the fact that eight out Of the eleven
road~ iG our system did not earn their op-
Grating expenses during the last year, be
trui lilly said that the earnings have been
Action by Congress.
All If the street railroad companies in
the District IF Columbia are required to
submit annually to Congress report of re-
ce-p-- md expenditures for the preceding
year =.nd H. Congress has recently, with
1uI knowledge Of these reports. granted ex-
ten sons Of the routes of The Metropolitan
and th-. Columbia. the only diyidend-paying
line ~, rur system without reducing the
rat. If fare. il must he presumed that it
va I.tt considered too high and that there
hal r--'u no public demand for lower rate.
Hur r To- connection with this We remem-
be- ,.sr within the last five years all of the
urb Fu companies have been required by
CpDEr.S< to rebuild their lines and put in
The foreground electric system. involving
the ssI-uditurn Of millions of dollars. and
a c-fs-Sp"nding increase of their issue Of
stock suL bonds. without changing the ex-
listing iate Of fare. it must be deemed con-
Ciu-iv.. thst neither Congress nor the peo-
pc NAp invested in these securities CON
terru,1-e1 that the fare would be reduced
"'a -a- light Of these facts. We must as
sum that those who favor the bill under
r'-.-.'s"Tat!nn do 81 in the belief that the
I~f -.a reduction would not reduce the
x If the companies impair their
%. t. q" meet fixed charges and provide
i-.f--.n for depreciation and reasonable
TrrH'-- surely. when the last Congress
#'''-''.--' iht charter Of the Belt line so as
f. .tEtr' all the world To bid for the fran
on anon TN condition that an expensive
t.il'f-f"UEd electric system be put i'm n
q E!t not. any more than the persons who
J. 60: II IL have contemplated that before
In d" TX could be even completed the fare
"...,I %. rSduced >" per cent by the next
'":S-'->S- \" one would have bid for thar
fs-a'..'sc had suchfa thing been suggested
M 81 these lines have since then been
rrr".i~i ructed in the best manner. and some
SeHeiiF miles OF road have been h,,iIt
through sparsely. settled portions OF the
''ur'iN- with no hope or expectation OF
ir1Ftas'l'ate profit from the Investment ey
Cri'- SIch as may result from excursfan
DIS N.'SS during the summer months
Mistaken Theory.
Til HrSument in favor of the measure
mus therefore rest wholly upon the mis-
ti"'n theory that it will increase rather
itSH decrease tn" receipts of the roads
Itrt- is nothing in the history of anv rail-
f"at .n the District Of Columbia to iustifv
SecH g. radical assumption. No road here
or r'~-" here. 50 far as | have been ahle 70
lear. has ever even tried the Experiment -
tLf"' cent fares. Including the privilege Of
I6Hstef system liberal and txran6ad
Is mat now in force our roads long
enough Z" warrant the assumption that IL
VIII not largely and seriously decrea a
ItVriHs Ihree-cent fares with no trans
fer- might be permissible without dfsastro,,.
results. provided there Is to be no consoii'