The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1910-05-24
RAILWAYS RAISE RATES
FOR NEW YORK PASSENGERS
100000 Commuters Must Pay
One Dollar More a Month.
ROADS GAIN $4,8OO,OOO INCOME
An Agreement Entered Into by Trunk
Line Association-Plea is That
Returns Don't Equal Cost of
Service.

New York City. Nearly every rail-
road with committing service in
New York City is to raise its commut-
ing rates on an average of one dollar
a month. This will affect 100000
commuters and will mean an added
income Of $4,S0O,00O year to the
railroads.
This agreement among the rail-
roads to raise rates was entered into
by the Trunk Line Association. The
railroads which agreed to the rate
raising plan are:
The New Haven, the Erie, Central
Railroad of New Jersey, the Lacka-
wanna, the Pennsylvania and the Lee
high Valley.
The New York Central is expected
to follow the lead of the others.
The railroads defend their stand by
declaring that at the existing scale
of Communication rates the returns
from the service are less than cost.
They make no reference, however,
to the increased freight and mer-
chandise business that big commut-
ing population along their lines
brings by hauling the various pur-
chases and products consumed by the
families of the commuters.
The action by the railways caused
great apprehension among the COM
muters living along the lines.
The New Haven road announced
some time ago an increase in com
mutation rates, thereby setting a
pace for the other roads. The Long
Island Road is going to charge So a
month extra for those commuters who
ride in the new tunnel from Long
Island City to the Seventh avenue ter
minal and ninety-five cents extra per
month for those who ride in the tun-
mel to the foot of East Thirty-fourth
street Those commuters who cling
to the old-fashioned ferry boats, or
who go no further than Long Island
City will not have to pay anything
extra.
The Erie increases range from
eighty-five cents to $125 a month.
Paterson's new rate will be 81 high
er and the commuters Of ,Montclair
will have to pay $685. iNstead of
$3.50, coming in under the minimum
increase
New Brunswick commuters who
ride on the Pennsylvania will pay 81
month more and the Lackawanna
charges dollar more for commuta-
ton ticket to Summit. The increases
will be nicely balanced by the various
roads in an effort to prevent a howl
from one community of commuters
that is not getting as square deal
as another.
The Greenwood Lake committing
division of the Erie cost 100000 to
operate last year, while the receipts
were but $4,000, loss of $50, 900.
Another Communication service of the
Erie lost $4,000 last year.
1t is claimed on behalf of the Erie
that it carries commuters at cheap
er rate than any line running into
New York, the average charge being
less than half cent a mile, or 487
mills per mile, to be exact. Tn epres-
ent computation rate from Port Jer-
Wis to New York is now only three
mills per mile, which, it is said, is too
low for efficient and safe service
While the waterlogged Erie, which
was MIXED, stripped to the bone and
the bones put in pawn by Jay Gould
and others, may be justified in boost
ing its rates, Wall Street cannot I'M
derstand how the immensely profita-
BILE properties like the Lackawanna,
the Jersey Central and the Pennsyl-
vania can justify their increases.
Many railroads have recently in
creased the wages of their employees
and thu men on the Erie are now vot-
ing whether they shall strike because
their demands we're refused. The
State of New Jersey has become more
vigorous in taxing railroads, the total
collected from that source amounting
last year to 100000. The railroads
contend their taxes should be cut in
half and that if this were done it
would not be necessary to increase
Communication rates.