The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-29
CAN NOT DO IT.
So - - sF@5 r. ss,ssfz
Railroads Say They Can't Garry
Passengers for Two Cents.
Officials Present Figures to the
Legislature.
HOLD A BIG MEETING.
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Committees of Two Houses Hold
q Session. .o6 : sls17
.a..--f-s 'rS5acr 4
Nearly All Prominent Railroad
Officials Present. ~
HOLD A BIG MEETING.

II
Even though most stringent anti
pass law is placed on the statute books
of Kansas, a law which will practically
prohibit the issuance of passes to any
one, it is the contention of the officials
of the railroads operating in Kansas
that passengers could not be carried
profitably al fare of two cents mile.
This contention was made with consid-
cradle emphasis at joint meeting of
the railroad committees of both branch
es Of the legislature which was held last
night in the senate chamber and it was
made by the heads of the passenger de-
partments of the roads. Facts and fig
uFes were presented to substantiate the
contention. 1t was admitted that the
| passenger traffic on some lines was con-
Quoted al a profit under present condi-
| lions but that the profit was a small
one, and the statement was made that
| if a two cent fare bill was enacted into
| law, passenger trains, which are now
run at an actual loss on many of the
| branch lines in the state, and on many
of the small roads, would have. to be
discontinued. -t . 49,.
There was certainly larger array of
railroad officials at this joint commit
tee meeting last night than has ever
appeared before at committee meet
ing of the Kansas legislature. Senator
George Tucker presided at the meeting
and it had been announced that the
antf-paSS measures and the two cent
fare bill would be given public hearings
But it took nearly four hours for the
representatives of the passenger depart
nents of the railroads to present their
side of the case the two cent fare
proposition. Even the railroad attor-
neys, generally the Spokesman for, the
railroads on all propositions did not get
a chance to have their say The COM
mift00 give them a 7
some future date.
These who attended the meeting in
the interests of the railroads were:
For the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Few. ]. Black, passenger traffic man
ager A. "A. .Hurd, special solicitor, W.
r. Smith. general attorney. H. G. White
head, consulting auditor. .a,. "a.
For the Chicago. Rock Island & Pa.
cif1c-John Sebastian, passenger traffic
manager. L. M, Allen, general passen-
ger agent, F. Nay. general auditor, and
Paul Walker. general attorney.
For the Missouri Pacif1c-H. G. Town
send, passenger traffic manager, Chas.
Styles. general passenger agent, ]. H.
Richards, general attorney.
For the St. Louis & San Francisco.
Alexander Hilton, general passenger
agent.
For the Union Pacffc-N H. LOOMS,
general attorney.
In addition to these gentlemen named
the, senate chamber awas5 crowded with
railroad men in minor positions ana
there was also good big crowd in
the galleries. 1t was easily the star
committee meeting of the session, or Of
any other session for that matter. Dur
ing its course Senator Stewart called
attention to the fact that Mr.. Black
had insisted that passenger rates were
going down at the present time while
Mr. Sebastian has held that the rates
were increasing as was shown by the
amount of revenue which the roads /
were receiving from each passenger. /
Senator Stewart could not reconcile
these statements and neither of the
railroad men were able satisfactorily to
explain them except on the basis that
local traffic is increasing. iss.s.{
= M. G. Polly asked what percentage of
the earnings was made up from passen- |
ger business and was Informed that
about one-third of the earnings of the |
Topeka & Santa F'e was from !
passenger business. Senator Stewart |
asked if the Atchison Topeka & Sam |
ia Fe used its earnings for improve |
ments or whether it issued bonds and |
stocks for this. Mr.. Black could not |
answer this, but Mr. Hurd said that the |
company issued bonds and stocks for |
but paid for mainten- |
ance. from its earnings This was in |
line with the information secured by |
the special investigation by the rail- |
road commissioners regarding the pro- |
posed issue of SO million dollars in |
bonds. *s-s-' q .-i
p The first railroad man to appear be- |
fore the committee was John Sebas- |
tan. He devoted a good deal of time |
to explaining the work the railroads |
were doing to get the country through |
which they passed settled with good, |
farmers, who would give |
them good returns in the way of |
freight and passenger. business as soon |
as they began getting crops from their |
lands. He said that exceptionally low
rates were granted to homesekers. ey-
cry few weeks in order to stimulate !
travel in the sparsely settled sections of
the southwest. S.i rsn a
Mr.. Sebastian presented a letter
from the auditor of the company in
which it was shown that fare of two
cents a mile was too low and that if |
such a fare was. ordered it would ne
cessitate a reduction in train service
and the removal of practically all low
excursion rates. He said that the rev.
enue from interstate traffic now is less
han two cents mile for. each passen-
ger while the local revenue is little
higher than this. Mr.. Sebastian said |
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