Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-02-22

Sts+e ee sbouId be substituted therefor and
such reduction could be made without a.
| fecting the class of tickets sod FOR lnSs
| than 21a cents per mile. 1t IS therefore dP
cided that the defendant, the Chicago &
| North Western railway. cease ana desist
| from charging or eXactluS from persons ue-
string to travel on its lines between points
| in Wisconsin which can be reached by IN
| tra-state journey the rate of 3 cents per
mile 1t is further ordered that maximum
| ra re NOT to exceed ~ cents per mile De
substituted and charged by said company
| in lieu of the maximum of cents per mile
now imposed
FOR FAMILY MILEAGE BOOKS.
| For the reason stated in the case of Buell.
| vs. the Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul rail
/ way it IS recommended that 500 mile books
| or tickets be issued which can be used by
the purchaser any member of his family
| for a period of one year from date OF sale.
| be placed on sale ana solu ny Tue ueIehuahI
| herein. ., ~,
| reasonableness in the rate of fare made by
| the defendant railroad company for the
| carriage of passengers on its lines between
| points in Wisconsin. The issue was joined
| thereon The commission likewise served
notice of investigation raised by the petl-
| ton on its own motion.
| The taking of testimony was begun April
| OF 1906 and continued from time to time
until concluded and thereafter the case was
argued The petitioner filed arguments Ill
| support of the allegations of his petitions
]. B. Sheean appeared as attorney 1or theI
The result of the analysis made in this
case leads to the same conclusion that was
reached in the case of A. E. Buell. VS.. theJ
| Milwaukee railway. Herewith the scope OF
| analysis and reasons therefor are set 1orih
at length in the opinion referred to. no
| useful purpose would be subserVed by re-
! peating it, but if this is considered deslra-
| bly, an additional statement will be MED
! showing the applications of the pr!nclpleS
| adopted in the Buell. case in dollars ana
cents to the case now under consideration:
A 212 cent maximum rate of rare Will
| enable the defendant company to earn SUP
stantially 51a per cent. on the value OF that
| part of it's property assigned to intrastate
traffic i@ Wisconsin. a reduction to
cents per mile would still permit the com
pany to earn substantially $40 per cent,
The detailed traffic analysis as in the
! two other cases decided was made for the
! year 1905. 1t is the finding and determine
| lion of the commission that the present
maximum basal rate of cents per mile
| charged for interstate traffic In Wisconsin
! is excessive and that a charge OF not 10
| exceed 2h cents per mile between points
within such state should be substituted
therefor and such reduction can pc mao, mace
without affecting other classes OF tickets
that are now sold for less than 212 cents per
mile.
1t is therefore ordered that the defendant,
the Chicago St Paul Minneapolis Il Oma-
ha railway cease and desst frsm charging
or enacting from persons desiring to travel
on it's lines between points within the state
trastate journey the rate or fare of 3 cents
per mile. 1t Is further ordered that q
maximum rate Of not to exceed ~ cents ts
per mile be substituted and charged by sa!u
company in lieu of the rate Of cents per
mile now imposed. ,
For reasons stated in the opinion in The
case of A. E. Buell. the Milwaukee rail-
way it is recommended that 500 mile DOCKS
or tickets should be issued for the use or
purchaser or any member OF his famlly LOT
one year from date of sale, be placed on
sale and sold by defendant herein.
In discussing it's decision in the st.
Paul case, the rate commission says:
While the Importance of cheap fares
should not be minim1zed the demand Tor
| adequate service cannot be ignored. mere
are persistent demands for more trains,
faster trains and better trains Perhaps
| those who travel most attach more import,
| ance to good service at higher rate OF
charge than poor service at lower rate.
| 1t is safe to say that many more com
| plants have been before the commission
than have come about the eXcesslVeness or
rates. This may be due in a measure to
| the fact that 1t was generally known THAT
the commission was considering the rate
The necessities of neither class of travel
ers should be ignored. All will perhaps
agree that passenger cars should be Kept
| in clearly condition, properly heated and
ventilated and should be reasonably COM
Portable. The law under which the com,
mission is operating does not undertake to
differentiate matters. Coupled with eacn
provision that rates must be reasonable Is
the further provision that the service must
be adequate.
REDUCED RATES STAND.
In discussing the question as to
whether some people should be allowed
to travel cheaper than others the COM
mission says:
We must deal with the conditions as
they have grown up and have become es,
| tablished. Carriers are not selling reduced
tickets class travellers
| cause they like them better than some
other class, or pay higher rate; they. do
! best interests financially to do so. Our
own judgment is that the custom should
not be abolished, but rather that 1t might
f! with substantial justice to all be extend
MILWAUKEE ROAD RAPED.
| OF all the roads involved in the passen,,
| fer rate basis, the Milwaukee & st. Paul
railway has the largest relative net earn
| principally to two causes
| The number of passenger train miles on
| the North Western railway In proportion to
road mileage in Wisconsin is largely in ex-
| cess of the passenger train miles on the
Milwaukee & st. Paul in proportion to its
service on the North Western is better
| than on the st. Paul.
| 1t is only fair to say, however, that this
| difference in train service has to some ex-
| tent been eliminated since the figures on
| which our calculation was based were
made up.
! The other reason for the difference in net
| earnings Is due to the fact that the defend
ant has not in the years in question ex-
| pended as much money for maintenance OF
| way as has it's principal competitors.
TWO-CENT FARE WRONG NOW.
We think the reduction to 2 cents per
mile would reduce the earnings of this COM
! pany and of it's principal competitors below
| the point to which they ought to be re-
duced in Wisconsin. We think reduction
| to 21a cents per mile could be made without
| affecting the tickets that are now usually