Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1905-03-24
BRATTLEBORO VERMONT. FRIDAY MARCH "a, 1906
FARE is NOW SIX CENTS
STREET RAILWAY DIRECTORS
DEEM CHANGE A NECESSITY.
Advance Went into Effect Monday
and is Met BY Proper Spirit on Part
Of PubIic-Inerease Should Mean at
Least $4,000 a Year to Company.


Six cents is now the regular price
of a ride on the Brattleboro street rail
road. Books containing 20 tickets are
sold for 81 and round trip tickets for
IL cents. Bundles will be carried for
the price of one fare or ticket un-
less they are unusually large when IL
cents or two tickets will be required.
These changes were made at a
meeting of the directors last Friday
afternoon when the full board-C. O.
Robbins, f. L. Hunt, II. ]. Clark, c.
X. Jones and NJ A. Coolidge of Fitch
burg, Mass. were unanimous in the
opinion that an advance in fares was
absolutely necessary to keep the road
in operation. The change is in line
with what is being done on small
roads and will increase the receipts
sufficiently to place the corporation
in a sound condition financially. The
directors estimate that the advance
will mean at least $4,000 to the road
each year, figuring the total receipts
at an average of $4,000.
| The past winter has been the most
severe in the history of the road, and
in order to continue its operation the
directors have had to become person.
/ ally responsible for $4,000. The state
tax has been raised so that 1t will
cost the road s115 more this year than
last, and a new boiler, which will cost
at least $1,000. will have to be bought
before another winter. Then. too,
there Is need of new rolling stock and
the roadbed ought to have more at
tention than 1t has been possible to
give 1t recently. II will be seen. there
fore, that the advance in fare is a
move of absolute necessity and not an
attempt to make money at the ex
Of rroN
management of the road made a Sc
rious mistake when it began selling
books containing "a tickets for 81.
This practically brought the road
down to a AZ cent basis for during
the winter months the receipts for the
sale Of books have been in excess of
the cash fares. Under the new plan
the road is practically placed on q
five cent basis again for those who
patronize II regularly VIII buy the
books containing 20 tickets for 81.
Thus far the travelling public has |
seemed to take the change good ma /
turedIy, realizing probably that il was I
absolutely necessary. The six cent +
fare took effect Monday, notices of the I
change having been posted in the +
cars last Saturday. Many people took
advantage of the last opportunity to /
get tickets at Az cents apiece and
over $3.50 worth of the old books were
sold during the latter part of the week.
Since then the conductors report that I
there has been no noticeable de-
crease in the amount of travel. but
the sales of ticket books have jumped
II is admitted on all
sides, however, that the six cents fare
Is more or less of a nuisance, especial
" to the conductors who are obliged
10 carry quantities of pennies in or
der to make change. One conductor
had to stop several times Monday
evening TO replenish his supply Of
,oppers. for at least four are needed
every time change is made. Only one !
serious complaint has been registered
n regard to the change and that was .
~ woman who said "she could ride !
III over the city of Hartford for a !
lickel" The conductor waited until ,
The had finished her argument and :
hen replied that Hartford and vicini-
Y had more people to draw from than r
3rattleboro. The woman then pro- :
luced an extra penny. !
In connection with the advance the !
extract from an address de- i
ivered before the Massachusetts +
treets railway association by p. F.
sullivan. president of the Boston &
Northern and Old Colony street rail-
ray companies. may be of local in /,
crest:
IN our communities we have a sc.
are, not because IL Is a reasonable
are but because We have a coin of $
uch an amount and because in other d
arts Of the country the fares are &c, t
r multiples of sc. In horse car times d
here was usually a fare of &C. with t,
tickets. When electric n
raction was introduced the fare was il
sually placed at sc. 1t was a reason 81
BILE fare at that time, distances We're il
hort, expenses reasonably low: but le
/ the last 10 years, and particularly u
'ithin the last 7 years. the ride has tc
cen heightened, transfer privileges ST
nd expenses increased. so that the is
argin of profit left for the investor p,
as been gradually disappearing The
ve-cent fare in cities where density ic
traffic is higher. where the com al
any sells transportation at whole pt
lie, is a reasonable fare, and with the ii
ansfer privileges reduced may, at yt
asst, be safely continued. The fares SIS
the thinlv settled communities st
lould. and must be increased, and in ca
lch case to such extent as will
eet the local conditions. I'm some
ses it may be that a six-cent fare
it'll communication tickets may answer .
e purpose; in others even doubling Va
e rate of fare will not make the op-
alton profitable.)"