Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1907-04-11
G)yerhor Signed 2-cent Fare Bill.

J
Governor Stuart has signed the
! Dunsmore bill fixing two cents as
! the maximum rate of fare on all
steam railroads in the State. The
new law goes into effect on Septem.
| Der 80 next
In signing the bill, the Governor
ignored the written request of Presi-
dent McCrea, of the Pennsylvania;
Railroad, to disapprove it. He dis
posed of the matter one day in adj
vance of the expiration of the ten
day time limit for signing or vetoing
bills or permitting them to become
law without his signature.
In approving the measure the
Governor issued no statement giving
his reasons,s apparently regarding
this as unnecessary in view of the
fact that the legislation was pledged
lry the platforms of all political part
les. Nor did he make public the
letters received from President
! McCrea.
| The fact that the railroads made
no request for ii final hearing before
the Governor was accepted as
indication that they had no hope of
| obtaining veto. There is high au-
thority for the statement that cOun-
sci for one of the largest railroads
affected advised against such hear
ing and advanced the argument thai
ii would be ''uselesS and Il mere
waste of time and energy"
The supposition here is that the
Pennsylvania Railroad will attack
the constitu,ionality of the new law,
and that other roads will remain in
actiXe in the matter until the decis-
ion on the first test case is handed
down by the court. Subsequently it
was intimated by we'll known cor
poration lawyer that the Pennsyl-
vania would resist the law i'm the
courts on the point that it was not
affected because of its charter right
to charge rate of three and one half
cents per mile.
The two.cent law does not become
operative until September 30. 1t
provides that no railroad company
shall demand or receive more than
two cents fare per mile. The mini
mum fare charged by a company
need not ..be less than five cents.
Railroad companies are given the
right to collect an additional ten
cents on cash fares collected on trains
provided a rebate check is given the
passenger. This is the custom at
present on the Pennsylvania and one
or two other roads. A provision in
the law makes it optional with rail
road companies whether partly used
tickets shall be redeemed. Nothing
is said in the act regarding the re-
demption of tickets purchased but
not used.
Violation of the act is made pun
ishahle by "A fine on the offending
company of not less than $1,000.
This is made to apply to each and
every oftense. Suit shall be brought
in the county in which an illegal
charge for fare is made.
As explained the law applies to
ali railroads in the State. There is
pending measure exempting short
lines. BY short lines the bill in
question refers to companies with
forty miles of tracka re or less not
swned or controlled by larger roads.
1t is not improbable a new bill will
be introduced to amend the bill sign
eel to-day to exempt such short lima
roads.
This will be done to put before
the courts the question whether the
Legislature may discriminate be-
tween one road and another. Few
persons believe the Legislature
may do this, but the amendment
probably will be offered as con-
cession to the smaller roads.
Jonn Millard of Laqnin, recent
ly was arrested by detective Guy