The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-06-21
TWO CENT FARE.
Railroads Not Satisfied With
Mileage Book Plan.
Make Much Extra Work for the
Trainmen.
AN ORDER COMING.
ORDER COMING.
State Board VIII Take the
Necessary Steps.
This Will Not Be Opposed by
the Roads.

An order for the ablishment of a
fiat 2-cent passenger fare in the state
of Kansas is about to be issued by the
state board of railroad commissioners,
regardless of the fate of the 2 cent
fare laws in Nebraska, Missouri, Ark
ansas, Iowa and other states.
That such a policy has been decided
upon was learned today from an
authoritative source, but has not yet
been publicly announced by the rail-
road commissioners themselves.
For time it was believed that the
Kansas commissioners would wait to
see how the 2 cent a mile law in other
states is succeeding before taking any
action, but now the commissioners are
said to have become convinced that
The wfsest thing to do, under the cir
cLnlstances, is to order the cent fare
to be established.
It is said that some of the Kansas
commissioners have taken the matter
up with the railroad officials, in an in
formal manner, and that there is a
strong possibility that the railroads
will not fight the order. The railroads
are said to be dissatisfied with the
mileage book plan W hich was accepted
by them as a compromise for a cent
fare law at the last session of the leg
islature. The mileasge books are COM
ing into such genera use that on some
of the heavy trains on the main line
it has become necS Sslry ter the rail-
roads to put on assIs stant conductors
to aid in tearing of the mileage, and
making the necessary records. 1t re-
QuireS considerable time to tear off the
right amount of mileage and obtain
the signature of the passenger both on
the back of the mileage strip and on
the special slip provided for the pur-
pose The additional expense of han
ding traffic under the mileage book
plan has had tendency to convince
the railroads that it would be about as
cheap on the whole to make a general
2 cent mile rate for everybody
From a political standpoint, it is re-
garded as important that the board of
railroad commissioners should or
der the 2-cent mile rate put in.
There is little doubt that unless the or
der is made the 2-ceHt a mile bill will
be one of the ISSUES in the campaign,
and that whichever party controls the
legislature, a 2-cent fare law will be
passed. Thesrailroads realize that they
are up against this and are not in
clined to be as stubborn as they were
last winter when they forced the mem
bers of the senate lodge to block the
2-cent bill.
1T would be a very good thing
said one of the we'll known politicians
of the state today, "to have this 2-cent
a mile business settled now, and get it
out of politics. There is no doubt that
the board of railroad commissioners has
authority to order the reduction
The section of the law which gives
the board the right to reduce passen-
ger rates is as follows:
Power and authority is hereby ves-
ted in the board of railroad commits
sioners, and it is hereby made it's duty
to supervise all railroad freight and
passenger schedules, rates, tariffs and
classified ton. 1t shall be the
duty of said board from time to time
to alter, change, or amend any such
schedule, classification, rate rule or
regulation established by any railroad
company"