New-York tribune., 1908-07-25
ISLAND RATE THE SAME
NO CHANGE IN FARE NOV.
Railroad Officials Didn't Giue T. ..
C.. Thirty Days Notice.

Officials of the Coney Island & Brooklyn Kali
road Company decided yesterday after discussion
with Commissioners McCarroll and Eusns, OF ti'e
Public Service Commission, that. IN view OF liie
provision in the law which requires thirty days
notification OF an increase in rates. they Woulo
call of for the time being the increase In the rare
from Manhattan to Coney Island ana await the
action of the commission
S W. Huff president of the railroad; Elmer M
White the auditor and William N. Dykrnan
counsel were hand yesterday morning, in re-
sponse to the commissions notification of an in
vestigation into the published increase OF fare
Mr. Dyknan testified that he had advised the
officials Of the company that they could go ahead
and raise the rate without informing the commits
sion but said if the commission took g. oafferenI
view of the matter he would not urge the point
When the attention of the railroads officials was
brought to the provision of Section =, which al
lows the commission to permit changes In rates II
good cause for the changes is given before thirty
days formal notice had been given. there was a
consultation between them, after which IL was
announced that the company would formally fiie
with the commission Monday an apphcauon 10
increase the rate Of fare before the thirty Gays
had expired. Assurance was given by Comfnis-
sioner McCarroll that, starting on TUESDAY, the
two commissioners now in town would rush the
consideration of the matter, but that no maj de-
cision as whether the change of rates couio Dc
made before thirty days had expired was 10 De
expected before the next meeting OF the conrnis-
sion to be held On August B.
According 10 the testimony given by the COM
pany's officials, the experiment Of operating open
cars on the Franklin avenue line of the company
and the advertising thereof has been success SO
far as the number of passengers carried is con-
cerned In fact the open line to Coney Island
has proved so popular that 1t has cut off the COM
pany from the profits of the short distance trafic
to BROOKLYN on account of the extra percentage
OF holiday seekers
Commissioner Eustis thought that If the line was
so popular the company ought to provide enough
cars to carry both the traffic to Coney Island and
to Brooklyn To this President HUFF replied the
company would provide the if IL had them. but
under the order of the Bridge Department it had
to operate certain number of cars over the Will
iamsburg Bridge during the rush hours. and this
prevented OF large number OF cars at othef
periods of the day.
Although the advertising of the open car route
by way of Franklin avenue has brought a great
traffic to the road, President Huff urged that 1t
had not paid. For the first fifteen days of the
month of July so.1sl5 had been received, ac-
cording 10 exact figures, from the operation OF q
car a car mile, but, though he did not have de-
tailed figures offer, he was positive that the
cost of operation q mile would be between Is
and 20 cents.
There is no intention on the part of the railroad
company to keep the fare at the old rate beyond
the thirty-day period of notice required by the
Public Service Commission law, but it hopes to
prove so concusvely before that period has elapsed
that the scent fare does not pay that the COM
mission will consent to the increase in fare.