The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-04-29
PASSENGER FARES.

In announcing it's decision to put
X cents a mile passenger rate in
effect in Missouri on May 1, the Chi
cago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
company intimates that it is making
this rate as a concession "to placate"
the people and thereby stop hostile
legislation against the railroads. This
is not a matter in which the people
are asking for concessions or in
which they can be "placated," or ap-
peased with any sort of a sop that
may be tossed to them by the rail-
roads. They are demanding pas
senger fares lower than three cents a
mile in this section of the country as
a matter of what they believe to be
of justice and right.
And while the railroads may have
proved to the satisfaction of Judge
Smith Mcpherson of the federal court
that their passenger service cannot be
conducted with reasonable profits on
a two cents a mile basis, they haven't
succeeded in convincing all of the
people of the absolute correctness of
this contention. 1t has been pointed
out in these columns before that the
reason for this is that the railroads
are, as Governor Hadley of Missouri
once said, most efficient witnesses for
themselves" They have one set of
figures on a certain proposition for
one purpose and another set on the
same subject for another purpose. AS
has been stated before when the two
cent fare agitation was started in this
section of the country the railroads
appeared before legislative COM
mittees and argued that such 1egisla-
ton really wasn't necessary because
the railroads through excursion, spec
ia1 and all sorts of cut rates were
then carrying all of their passengers
at an average rate of about two cents
mile. They produced their sta
tistics to prove this point. Then they
went into Judge McPherson's court
and presented figures to show that To-
cal passenger traffic could not be
carried with reasonable profit for
less than 2.99 cents per mile. In
other words they would have the peo-
pie believe that for years and years
they conducted their passenger service
at an average loss of about one cent
per mile and of their own volition.
Another instance of the nimble-
ness of the railroad officials in pre-
senting different facts and figures on
the same subject to prove any par
ticular point they have in view oc-
CURED recently in Florida where a
movement is under way to reduce the
passenger fares from to cents a
mile. This question is now before the
courts in that state. The vice presi-
dent of the Louisville & Nashville
railroad made an affidavit to the court
that the value of the roads property
in that state was $5,200,000. A high
value on the property was essential
to the case. Just one month and
twenty Eight days before the presenta-
ton of that affidavit another official
of the railroad made an affidavit to
the authorities of the state of Florida
that the value of this same identical
property was only $1,700,000. 1t is
almost unnecessary to add that this
value was announced for the purpose
of taxation.
Isn't it about time that a fixed and
fair valuation be set upon railroad
property by the federal and state gov
ernments? There can be no adequate
settlement of passenger and freight
rates until there is some certain value
on the railroad property on which
they can be based so that such
property can earn reasonable profits.