The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-09-22
w Workingmen Are Included in
Council Demand - Company
Can Afford to Give Ten
Rides for Twenty five Gents
According to It's Own Finan-
clal Report.
People Tolerated Company
During Panic, and Now
They Want Something in
Return. Money Is Being
Earned, and Water in Stock
is Overlooking.

an editorial from the Springfield
l!s1ia lMass;l Republican, h.. which: lis very
timely, and IS az follows: '.s5ss IS s
Lower Street Car Fares.
There comes from Cleveland, O..
street railway news of large interest
TO other places, says the Springfield
Republican. We have noted Mavor
Johnson's final success in securing an
opening in Cleveland for a railway
system, supplementary to the existing
one, which is to have a maximum
three-cent fare, and which contem
plates municipal ownership as soon as
perm1ssfve> state statute can be Sec
ured. When Johnson, who is himself
a practical street railway expert, first
expressed his belief that transit in
such city chould be conducted at
reasonable profit on the three-cent
fare basis, the consolidated company
IN possession of the field ridiculed the
idea. 1t was an impossible policy, the
company's owners and managers said:
and in the pretense of proving it thew
voluntary offered to carry passengers
for month at the three-cent charge.
At the end of the month announce
ment was made that the experiment
was failure, and no more was ex-
pected to be heard Of it.
But it is now a condition and not q
theory which confronts the old street
railway system, and it's views Of the
matter have moderated materially. AS
long as the mayors three-cent project
remained hung up in the courts fares
below five cents were ruinous. Now
however, with the project in actual
progress Of fulfillment with municipal
ownership lowering in the distance and
the Old franchise expiring, the con-
sol1dated sees new light and offers
In return for extended franchises to
sell seven tickets for rs. cents. to grant
universal transfers and construct such
new lines as the city may direct. This
Is not the equivalent of, a flat three
cent rate, but 1t would come close to
that IN practice-3% cents, which, it is
said, would be the lowest general rata
known in the country.
Franchise IL Valuable.
The existing street railway mon
opoly IN Cleveland thus admits frank
1y that it's franchises are worth more
to it than it has been Willing here.
1ofore to acknowledge Confronted
with the danger of losing the fran
ch1ses altogether, and that it's capital
may be forced out of the 'monopolisttc
into some competitive Investment, it
comedies the probability that it can
40 much better by the public and still
earn a reasonable return on it's money!
cleveland Is much larger city than
Springfield, and it does not follow that
rate which will be reasonably profit
able there would be the same. here.
But we may In all. reasonab1eness
suspect that the local company can
AFFORD much more generous terms to
the public than it does, without un-
due injury to itself. The offer OF six
tickets for rs cents or, 25 for 81 might
probably as we'll be afforded here as
the offer of seven tickets for a quarter
IN Cleveland-considerin the extent
and stability Of the city's continued
growth, the more parsimonius policy
Of the company in the matter of public
contributions and it's request for en-
iarged franchise privileges. It would
be safe wager that the Sprinf1eld
company would readily grant this con-
cession did it face the danger Of mum
.icipal assumption Of its monopoly. But
we should not be forced to take up
that CLUB in order to get what seems
to be the public due" y ~ : 49, 3H~2 d. (.