Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-02-21

piled TO the passenger traffic, provid.
ed no discrimination was praeticed
between individuals, II expressed its
wish. as far as it could legally do SO,
TO the effect that ii did not desire
such conditions to be disturbed, II
was the intent of the legislature 70
prevent injustice, not to prescribe
rules which would hamper the car.
riers in carrying on the details of
their business or prevent them from
adopting reasonable methods for in.
creasing it,"
Thoroughly investigated.
In approaching the general subject
Of reductions in fare the commission
says:
Owing to the far-reaching import.
ance Of the question under considera.
zion. both to the carriers and to the
people Of the state, We have felt that
nothing short of 4 thorough and
painstaking investigation of the ques-
lions necessary to be investigated In
order to make a decision that would
be at last satisfactory to ourselves,
should for moment be considered.
We have received not little advice
as to how and when the passenger
rate cases should be decided This
solicitude might we'll have been
spared 1t is as much the duty of this
commission to protect the rights and
the interests of the carriers as it is
to protect the rights and the interests
of the people of the state. We are
apt to be more generous at the ex.
Ipense of our neighbors than we are at
our own expense To be generous to
the people of the state at the expense
of justice to the carriers would be a
species of official brigandage that
Ought to hold the perpetrators up to
the eNecration of all honest men, In.
deed we have no idea that the peo-
pie of Wisconsin have the remotest
desire to deprive the railroads of the
state of aught, that in equity and
good conscience, belongs to them,
and, If any of them have, their wishes
cannot be gratihed by this commits
sion"
Speaking of lower freight charges
and their relative importance to pas.
senger rates, the commission says
Careful Division Necessary.
Having arrived at the gross earn
ings, operating expenses and net rev
enue derived from intra-state traffic
it became necessary to determine
how much of such gross income Is
derived from freight traffic and how
much from passenger, mail and eX.
press traffic, and what the expense
as nearly as can be ascertained, is of
conducting such species of traffic
The method pursued in making this
division will be discussed in detail
later in this opinion. No result can
be arrived at, that the expert ac-
countant can, or will, pronounce abso
.lutely correct. Some expenses are
common to both classes of service
and II a division is to be made, must
be pro-rate6 on some reasonable ba-
sis, which Inay be more or less arbi
trary The case is not different from
that Of the manufacturer engaged in
manufacturing different articles He
seeks to ascertain what each article
costs him, so that he may know what
price to sell it to make a profit He
may be able to tell the exact cost of
the labor and material which is EN-.
ployed to produce the finished pro
duet, but he has his insurance taxes
office expenses selling expenses and
interest which must be divided be
tween the different articles on some
basis in order to arrive at the ult-
mate cost Of each article produced
Slight errors may creep into this di-
vision of expenses. but on the whole
a result can be arrived at that
answers all practical purposes. So
too with the freight and passenger
business of railroad,
Separate Classes of Service.
Freight and passenger service are
entirely separate and distinct From
justification for making the passen
ger contribute toward the carrying
cost Of freight No more is there any
justification for compelling the ship
per of freight to contribute to the
cost of carrying passengers The i'm
position of a tax on the users OF one
class of service for the benefit OF
those who use another is not conso
nant with reason or fair dealing,
Freight Most Important.
But II we wholly disregare equit
able considerations between individu
ais, and take into account the benefit
that might accrue to the state from
imposing a burden upon the few for
the benefit Of the many, we arrive at
the same result. We believe that not
one good economic reason can be
urged in favor Of making the shipper
pay portion of the carrying cost OF
the passenger Low freight rates are