The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-15
2CENTF FARE
Railroad Board Writes Letter
to the Railroads.
Had Denied Indignantly In
tended to Do So.
EXPECTED TO COMPLY
Roads Are Finding Mileage
Book Plan Cumbersome.
Text of Communication From
the State Board.

A letter has been addressed to each
railroad in Kansas by the state board
of railroad commissioners asking the
roads to put in at once a general >
cent a mile passenger fare in the state
OF Kansas.
This is in accordance with the an
nouncement made in the State Journal
on June 81, which announcement was
Indignantly denied" through other
newspapers by the railroad commission
ers.
1t will also be remembered that the
railroad commissioners indignantly
denied that they had had any secret
session with ]. H. Richards, the general
attorney for the Missouri Pacific, at the
time the Sheppard charges were under
investiga ton. The railroad commission
has way of rushing into newspapers
with denials of facts printed in the
State Journal.
On June q, the State Journal an
nounced, on authority of a person thor
oughly in touch with the purposes Of
the board, that the board would not
wait for the 2-cent passenger fare law
to be tested in the courts Of other
states, but would at once set about
Kansas 1t was stated at that time
that the railroads would not seriously
oppose this because they were finding
it expensive business keeping up the
mileage book scheme Not only did the
board deny this story, but a Santa Re
railway official also came to the front
with an Indignant denial' of the state
ment that the mileage book plan was
proving cum bersome. Since then, the
Santa Fe has been obliged to put extra
conductors to work on all Its principal
passenger trains to relieve the regular
conductors, who are swamped with he
additional work of handling mileage
book transportation.
The letter asking the railroads to put
the 2-cent fare into effect was drafted
by E. C. Sinner, secretary of the board.
and sent to the legal department of the
Santa F'e, Rock Island, Union Pacific,
Missouri Pacific, and Missouri Kansas
& Texas railways. The legal depart
ments are asked to take the matter up
with the proper officers of the roads.
The letter sent out by the board Is
in part as follows:
LAS you are aware. the railroads
operating in the states of Nebraska,
Missouri and Arkansas have in effect a
2-cent passenger fare rate. The fact
that this law is in effect in neighbor-
ing states and the fact that conditions
in these states from a passenger traffic
standpoint are very similar to those
existing in Kansas is creating gen.
eral demand for the establishment of
a 2-cent maximum in this state The
purpose of this letter is to urge upon
your company the Importance of a
consideration of the establishment or
an emergency maximum 2-cent pas
senger rate in Kansas so that Kansas
may be placed upon an equal footing
with the surrounding territory in this
regard, this emergency maximum rate
to become permanent upon the estab-
lishment of the 2-cent maximum rates
in the above named states by the
courts. This action on the part of
your company will avoid the posi-
bility of an order of the board estab-
fishing such rate and the attendant
in the courts.
strT1I.z Ix
much to take this matter up with the
proper department of your company
and have this communication given its
serious consideration and that you
advise the board of results of that
consideration at the earliest possible
date"