The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1907-02-08
ELECTRIC LINES
Reducing Rates on Steam
Railroads
PERFECT NETWORK IN EAST.
Spokane-BIg Bend, Brewsser-Night-
hawk and Red Apple Routes
Will DO Much to Develop
this Section

ever increasing NUMBERS neeu no longer
be doubted. The cost OF building,
equipping and operating is SO much
less than steam roads, and consequent
ly the freight and passenger tariff is SO
much lower that the wonder is that
new lines are not even built faster.
In the eastern states, tho, they are
becoming exceedingly numerous and
have already reduced the earnings Of
the steam roads from passenger traffic
from 25 to so per cent. There is
more comfort on the electric lines by
reason of the absence of smoke and
CRIME.
The following, from the pen of re-
cent writer on the subject OF electric
roads will be found interesting.
There is probably no factor in trans
portation in the United States that is
destined to have a greater influence
upon population and industry than the
electric railways. In the last few years,
especially in the central west, they
have cut their way across country from
town to town and opened up vast ter
ritories to travel and trade which have
hitherto been dependent upon high
ways for communication with the out
side world. II
In many portions Of the best farming
regions of the country, the highways
during half of the year are practically
impossible, as an economical mode Of
transportation. The amount Of farm
products thus locked up is enormous,
and the effect Of this is to check pur-
chases of merchandise because sales
are suspended. Materials for the MAX
ing of good roads are not well distrib-
uted. At the season when road i'm
provement is possible farmers are fully
occupied with work at home. The
consequence is that the highways have
Jagged far behind the progress of inn
provements in many Of the best farm
ing sections of the country.
The growth of the interurban trolley
lines is likely to divert attention for the
time being at least from road improve
ments. People will look upon the
electric lines as substitutes for. high
ways, rather than as being supplement-
ay in character, somewhere between
the railroads on one hand and the
highways on the other. But there can
be no doubt as to the preference for
the trolley in many communities, where
the question of competition with steam
railways is prominent.
The brunt of interest at this time
centers in the relation Of electrical
lines to the steam roads. Prof. E. L.
Bogart of Oberlin College, Ohio, has
made study Of this question in that
state, as reported in the Journal of Po-
litical Economy. He finds that in
the last seven years the number of pas
sengers on the steam railways has fallen
off by $4,000, 900, not because there
is less travelling, but because the COM
peting trolley has stolen the traffic.
There is little travelling by steam now
in Ohio between points where electric
lines pass. This preference for the
trolley for short distance travel is due
to several causes. Most OF the railroad
stations are not in the center but on
the edge OF towns, and are thus less
conveniently situated than the electric
lines, especially in stormy weather. 1t
costs less to 60 by the electric lines.
1t is very much more convenient, ow-
ing to the greater frequency Of the ser
vice. Trolley cars usually run every
hour, while steam trains only run three
or four times day. The frequency Of
stops makes it possible for many to use
the electrics who could not use the
steam lines.