Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-02-27
REDUCTION WILL
Be ACCEPTED
ST. PAUL ROAD WILL ACT IN
GOOD FAITH.
sAMILY MILEAGE BOOKS
Company viii Not Only Abide Or.
der Without Appeal, but viii
Act on Recommendation of Com
mission-No Communication or Ex-
cursion Tickets to Be Withdrawn.

Chicago, H.. Feb. 19-The chi
cage, Milwaukee & St Paul Railway
company win comply with the order
of the Wisconsin railroad commits
sion, ordering a reduction of the
maximum passenger fare to two and
half cents a mile, and will also
place on sale the 500-mile family
mileage book at $40 each, recon-
mended by the commission.
This road will not withdraw any
Of the Communication tickets or excur-
sion tickets which have hitherto been
sold at reduced rates. This informa
ton was gained in an interview with
Burton Hansen, general solicitor OF
the st. Paul Railroad. last night.
He said.
$50 far as the Chicago, Milwaukee
& st. Paul road is concerned,
think / may say it is somewhat in
the position of the man who said he
was satisfied even If he was not con
tent, The order of the commission
will be complied with, including the
recommendation for a family mile
age book. l understand that the
passenger department already has
extra men in addition to the regular
force at work on The new tariffs
which the order VIII require When
you take into consideration the fact
that there are over 800 stations in
Wisconsin and that the new rate
must be computed from every sta
ton to every ether station it will
readily be seen that for the state
tariffs alone upwards of 10000 com
putations must be made, each inyolv-
ing multiplication of two numbers
both complicated with fractions. This
is no small task and to complete II
within the 90 days allowed by law
and get the necessary printing done
will task the resources of the COM
pas1y. especially as expert rate men
are very difficult to find unemployed.
Although our contentious are not
sustained by the commission, there
is always some consolation in defeat
| think We may take some satisfac-
ton from the knowledge that no.
thing we could do was left undone
to lay the facts involved in the
question before the commission and
that every effort was made by the
railways to give every possible aid
In getting at the full truth of the
matter. On the other hand. every
one must appreciate the painstaking
care with which the commission dis
charged the duty of examining into
the complex questions presented, and
! think the Wisconsin passenger
cases will stand for many years to
come as examples Of the best effort
of both the railways and the state
to try these questions out fully and
decide them fairly Our whole con
tention in this matter has been that
service is of more importance than
rates and that the present rates 40
not yield more revenue than is re-
quired for the maintenance of good
service.
THE commission does not agree
with us in the conclusion but II
does endorse our position In the mat
ter. / do not understand that the
new rate will affect in any way the
excursion or Communication rates, and
there is no reason now apparent
why 1t should affect the character OF
the amount Of the passenger service
"The order Of the commission is
accept in good faith and in good
spirit and every effort viii be made
to make it yield a revenue that will
warrant such -ervice as the people
require | am unable to say what
the effect will be upon the revenues
OF the company. but / am very sure
Il will not in any case approach the
absolute disaster which a reduction
Of two cents would have meant. IL
certainly leaves a working basis
which twocent rate would not