New-York tribune., 1909-07-06
THE FARE TO CoyEY ISLAND.

II has never seemed to us that 10cent fare
10 Coney Island was unreasonable charge-
The 5-cent fare Oh streetcars is based on the
theory that many riders Will travel only few
blocks and that few will ride long distance
The fact that passengers may ride several miles
is of no consequence if the number who do so
is negligible But the situation on which that
conventional charge is based is reversed when
the short haul passenger Is the exception ana
the majority ride from one end OF the line 10
the other. This is the condition with regard
10 the Coney Island traffic. especially on Sun
days and holidays. If that traffic were typlcal
street railway traffic no 5-cent fare WOULD De
DosSible OF the various lines of the Coney
island & Brooklyn Street Railway Company,
into whose charges the Public Service Commits
sion has just examined, the shortest is 9.3 miles
and the longest i 3S miles. A large proportion
of the Coney Island traffic is carried over al
most the whole length of the route. On its face
ii is not profitable to transport passengers ten
miles or so for cents
The Public Service Commission however, has
not decided the 10-cent fare cases of the Coney
Island & Brooklyn line on these general prln-
ciples, because 1t might still order the road to
make q 5-cent fare TO the ocean if the prontS
Oh its other business were sufficient to make
I'D its losses On its seaside resort traffic. But
the commission finds that this is not the case.
In accordance with the customary method IN
which rate cases are settled, the COMMISSION
estimates the value of the railroads property
and decides that the income, including returns
from extra fares to Coney Island on Saturdays,
Sundays and holidays, is only suthclent TO Flelu
an adequate return on the investment. NO
doubt its conclusions Will be criticised by those
who believe 5-cent fare sufficient, and for the
reasons pointed out by the Supreme Court in
the Gas Trust case. Valuation is a matter OF
opinion and where a slight change in it would
be enough to make the return from lower
rate adequate It is not convincing as 10 WhaI
would be the results in actual operation. But
however Inconclusive such mathematical dem
onstrationS in respect to the effect of rates ma!
be the commissions report favoring lO-ceht
rate on Saturdays Sundays and holidays is IN
conformity with common sense as regards the
REGULARITY of the Coney Island traffic. and with
sound policy in not compelling the road to re
duce its earnings but in forcing it TO apply Its
syrnIuS earnings TO bettermentS If the ROAD
does rot put its stock and way into good re-
pair the commission threatens TO cut the Sat
urday. Sunday and holiday charge to cents
on the ground that the value of the investment
is less than that on which, in accordance WIN
the decision, it is held entitled TO earn an IN
come.
The pecularity of the decision finding D
cent fare adequate on other days than Satur-
days. Sundays and holidays naturally causes
good deal of comment This part of the de-
cision is mere 0biter diCtd, as, at the time the
complaint was made. the company was charg-
ing only cents on ordinary days. and the COM
nlaint was only against the 10-cent fare on
SATURDAYS Sundays and holidays. No order
iS therefore, issued regarding the other days
of the week The commission takes the ground
that the privilege of charging 10 cents on ordl-
nary weekdays IS OF no consequence to the COM
many. as its books show that the extra fare on
those DAYS has not affected earnings. More
over. il thinks that lower fare encourages
traffic in otherwise empty cars, TO the Island
in the morning, when Brooklyn is bound for
Manhattan. and away from it in the evening
when Brooklyn is homeward bound from Man
haitian Thus the weekday Coney Island traffic,
If concludes is actually cheap traffic. a sort
of makeweight or ballast. But this seems to
overlook the fact that on weekday evenings
considerable part of the travel TO the beach
would be in the same direction with the rush
hour crowd from Manhattan. When the COM
mission comes to issue an order for lower fares
on ordinary days the legal question may, per-
hans be raised whether its making of a scent
fare for one day Of the week and a 10-cent fare
for another is not discrimination of the sort
forbidden by the Public Service commissions
law.