The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1905-08-05
LIE moron oMNIauaI.
Of Merits Of Electric Car
and EeIf-Driyen Carriage

and SeIf-Driyen Carriage.
In England, where the use OF cleo
tricity for the operation OF street rail-
waye is more of q novelty than In the
United States. the wisdom OF the prac-
tice is occasionally challenged. Tor
instance, an engineering expert writ
ing to the London Times q few days
ago, expressed the opinion that some !,
of the smaller English cities which had |
authorized the construction of trolley
lines might In time regret their pre-
cipitation." He then proceeded to
point out the merits Of the self-pro-t
PEELED omnibus, which Is probably
more common in the streets OF London
than In New York or other American
cities, although still too new to admit
Of thoroughly satisfactory compaEi-
son with the electric car.
In at least one respect the omnibus
Ia distinctly superior to Its rival. IN
extremely narrow streets it Is less of
an obstruction to drays. cabs and pri-
vate carriages and is less liable to be
delayed BY a blockade than vehicle
which must follow line of rails. The
| first cost of motor omnibus is esti-
mated by the correspondent OF the
Times as about the same as that Of the
trolley car, but the latter requires an
| additional Investment OF capital for
track, overhead wire Or conduit and
power house. An omnibus line, then,
calls for smaller outlay to begin with.
On the other hand, less power La need
ed to move a car than q carriage which
runs on the ordinary pavement Of a
street. Rails facilitate movement by
reducing friction. Again, vehicle
which generates it's own power expert
ences greater difficulty In climbing
steep grades than one which derives
power from q central station. Finally,
the trolley car has from two to three
times the capacity of the omnibus.
Theoretically, II not practically, there
fore, its earnings should be larger.
The contributor to our London con-
temporary has undertaken to get q lit
tie hight on this last point, but confess
es that he has not been able to obtain
as much as he could wish. Here, how
ever, Is the result in a nutshell: For
: the omnibus the cost of operation Is 6
/. or 10 pence per car mile and its re.
ceipts 13 or IA, an excess ranging from
ne-third to one-half. For the trolley
car the cost of operation averages G
pence and the receipts 10 pence, the
margin being two-thirds of the oper
ating charges.-New York Tribune.
just Discrimination in Railway Rates
All railroad men qualified to speal
on the subject in a responsible way arr
likely to agree with President samue
} Spencer of the Southern railway whe1
l he saye: ''There is no division O
= opinion as to the desirability of stop
ping all secret or uniustly discrimina
tory devices and practices of whatso
q ever character" ........, =,
Mr.. Spencer, in speaking of unjust
a ly discriminatory rates and devices
makes distinction which is at ono
4 apparent to common sense. There ma,
= be discrimination in freight rates whicl
= is just, reasonable and imperatively re
- quired by the complex commercial an,
geographical conditions with which ex
i pert rate makers have to deal. To aboI
L ish such open and honest discrimina
It ton might paralyze the industries G
y cities, states and whole sections of on
@ national territory.
y This distinction between just an
Q unjust discrimination is clearly recoq
nized in the conclusions of the inferno
Is tional Railway congress, published YET
n terday:
]. Tariffs should be based on commercial priI
ciples, taking into account tie special cond
i lions which bear upon the commercial vRlu
10 of the services rendered. With the reserv
- ton tSat rates shall be charged without arb
" trary discrimination to ell shippers alike III
as far as possible have all the elasticity niece
20 sary to permit the development of the trait
b. and to produce the greatest results to the pu
lie and TO the railroads themselves"
The present proposal is, as M
10 Walker D. Hines, of Louisville, how
o. in his remarkable testimony the oOht
b. day before the senate committee I
;" Washington, to crystalline flexible ar
III Justly discriminatory rates into fixe
" government rates which cannot
~ changed except by the intervention
1e some government tribunal, and by tn
L. very process to increase "the tempt
ton to depart from the published "a
10 and the lawful rate in order to me
i'd some empowering and urgent CONNIE
d, cial condition"--New York Sun.