The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1907-08-24

THE TWO=CENT
R. R. FARE TEST.
Missouri Railroads Show Heavy Loss in Re-
ceipts. - Cash Decrease, 25 Per Cent, De-
spite the Increase in Number of Tickets Sold.
Original Contention Apparently Sustained,

/ Tls accounting departments of the
Missouri railroads with headquarters in
st. Louis are beginning the preparation
! of figures showing the effect on traffic
| and earnings of the lines under the 90
day trial of the 2-cent-fare law. The
showing, it is indicated by the figures
already at hand, will support the con-
tention of the roads that the enforce
ment of the law meant a heavy decrease
in revenue.
The figures in course of analysis and
tabulation at. present are those for the
| month of July, which was not COM
| pletely under the 2-cent-fare law, as the
interstate traffic was not put on 2-cent
basis until July 10, though the inter-.
state traffic was put on that basis before
| the month opened.
In general way the figures as they
now stand indicate in nearly every in
stance an increase of 80 to DO per cent.
in the number OF tickets sold, while the
cash income has shown a decrease of
about 25 per cent. This situation has
apparently been brought about by
growth of the shortest hauls, neighbor-
hood trips, etc., while there has not been
any increase in the long hauls, from
which the roads have heretofore derived
most of their passenger earnings.
In the case of one road the figures
for the last week in July show a decrease
in the receipts from strictly interstate
traffic of $4,000. approximately, while
the following week showed a decrease of
$4,000 in the same item, as compared
with the corresponding week year ago.
Another road shows from figures at
hand an increase Of 40 per cent. in the
number of tickets sold for the month.
while the cash earnings were within a
fraction of Is per cent. less than year
ago. Still another road, one whose local
traffic in Missouri is very light, most of
it's travel being in and to other States,
shows cash decrsase of about 2115 per
cent. on local traffic.
losses has not taken into account that a
normal increase of traffic from year to
year of about 10 per cent. is to be ex-
pected, especially in prosperous times.
In consequence, the railroad officials in
general are of the opinion that when
the figures for the entire ninety days
are made up they will show state of
affairs corroborating the contentious
in court that the 2-cent law is confisca-
tory.
Inasmuch as the analysis of the fig
ures required to explain conditions un-
Fder the 2-cent law contemplates condi-
tons for which the bookkeeping depart
ments of the roads were not prepared, it
will be week or more before the fig
cures for July are fully digested. AS
an instance, heretofore the roads have
not separated the traffic Of one State
from another. In order to make the
proper showing, they must now not only
show the earnings on interstate traffic
completely, but also the earnings within
the State from interstate traffic in the
case of travel from points within to
points without the State and vice versa.
The complications are so great that
the analysis will require, in interstate
traffic, practically an accounting of each
ticket separately before the true inter-
state earnings can be determined.