The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-04-01
TWO CENT FARES.
years.

The question as to whether or not a
two cents mile passenger fare is con-
fiscatory, as the railroads claim, is be-
coming more muddled than ever AS
suredly a black eye of large dimensions
has been handed to this contention by
the most recent report of the railroad
and warehouse commission of Illinois.
1t appears that during the past year two
cent fares have been most profitable TO
the railroads operating in that state.
There was an enormous increase in the
number of passengers hauled during the
last year as compared with the previ-
GUS year when three cent fares were in
order, and the revenue derived from the
two cent fares was materially increased
over the figures Of the previous year.
There is nothing to show, either that
the railroads increased their passenger
train service to any great extent to
handle this increased business and
thereby added considerably to the ex-
pense of operating passenger trains. In
all likelihood the expense of the pas
senger service in Illinois for the past
year was practically the same as it was
for the previous year. Indeed, 1t may
have been less because of the retrench-
ments in all lines which the railroads
have been making for the past Is
months or two years.
Undoubtedly there are more people in
Illinois to travel than there are in KAN
sas Oklahoma, Nebraska or Missouri,
where the sufficiency of a two cent fare
is being strongly disputed by the rail-
roads. In all probability they will find
some way to dispute the facts and fig
ures set forth in the report Of the IL
lionis railroad board. But people may
be pardoned for not taking at their face
value the figures presented by the rail-
roads from time to time to show that
a two cent fare is confiscatory, because
they have so many conflicting sets of
figures to produce on this subject> ac-
cording to the demands of the occa-
sion.
Occasionally in their arguments
on the question the railroad officials in
this section of the country point out an
alleged fact that two cent fares do not
prevail in New York state, the most
densely populated territory in the Union
and that because such fare would not
be adequate there Governor Hughes eff
fected a master stroke when he vetoed
a two cent fare bill which passed the
New York legislature year ago. AS
a matter of fact, the great bulk of the
passenger traffic in New York has been
carried on a two cent fare basis for
years. The great New York Central
railroad which sweeps with two tracks
north from New York to Albany and
then with four tracks from Albany
west through the heart of the state to
Buffalo, has not been charging more
than two cents a mile for any distance
to ali corners for years. The Delaware
& Hudson River Railroad company, the
big north and south line in that state
which runs on into Canada has had
mileage book system, thousand miles
for $40, in force for years. These books
are Interchangeable between members
of the same family and are in general
use. The bulk of the enormous inter
urban traffic out of New York city has
been carried for years on Communication
tickets which cost considerably less
than two cents a mile. In other words
the greater part of the passenger traf-
fic in New York state has been carried
for a long time for two cents a mile.
In fact a large amount of the passen-
ger traffic in New York state is car
ried at less than two cents mile and
even at one cent mile Further
Governor Hughes vetoed the two-cent
fare bill for the reason that New York
had just secured a utilities commits
sion whose duty it was to pass on these
matters and he did not believe it the
province of the legislature to pass that
sort of law when there was a COM
mission to review such matters.