Evening journal., 1911-08-12
ORDER STRIP
TICKETS SOLD
fContinued from Flrst PAGE. }

/ 0nili ANiAutI nulltt lut lOllOW
ing schedule of wages Will be effec'
tive.
Until further notice all conduc
tors and motormen now receiving %
cents per hour will receive "a cents
per hour; and all receiving 21 cents
per hour viii receive % cents pei
hour; these changes 20 take effect
as of August 15 Also until further
notice the following schedule will
apply to men entering the service Of
the company after August 15
"21 cents per hour during the first
years continuous service; % cents
per hour during second years contin-
uous service; % cents per hour dur
ing third years continuous service;
"a cents per hour thereafter"
The Traction Company officials TO-
day Issued the following statement
setting forth its reasons for abolish
ing six for a quarter tickets:
Reason for Fare Change.
"The Wilmington and Philadelphia
Traction Company has now operated
for a little more than one year the
principal lines Of railway in and
about Wilmington.
Just before these properties we're
taken over. the wages of the conduct
ors and motormen had been largely
increased. namely from 1S 1-2c per
hours to 2Sc per hour. II is. Of
course, gratifying to any management
to be able to pay its employees rela-
lively high wages. Nevertheless this
increase threatened for a consider
able time, the then pending negotia-
tions, since it largely increased the
operating expenses over those which
had been considered when tn negotia-
tions began.
Finally it was determined to un-
dertake the project without change in
the scale Of wages. A number of COM
panies in neighboring territory have
recently made increases in the pay
Of their men. These changes have
been made in recognition of the high
cost of living.
"1n conformity with the changes
made elsewhere and for the same rea-
sons as caused all such changes, the
Wilmington and Philadelphia Traction
Company, has notified its motormen
and conductors that their wages would
be Increased by 1c per hour to date
from August 18th. This brings the
scale of wages to 24c for about 80 per
cent. of the train crews and to 22c
for the remaining 10 per cent.
THE average rate is about 80 per
cent higher than it was approximate
ly two years ago; it is also about so
per cent higher than the rate now
paid for similar service by other street
railway companies operating in and
about Wilmington.
"In addition to this increase in the
daily out-go, large increase of invest
ment has been made in the past year
in order to bring the service more
nearly up to the best modern stand
ards
Large and expensive cars have
taken the place of others which, al.
though still serviceable, were consid.
cred to be not entirely satisfactory ac
cording to the ideas of today. This
substitution Of new cars for old hal
already cost many thousands of dol
lars, and similar policy. if carried
on in the future, will increase tn;
capital expenditure thus required.
Il is not clear that such increased
expenditures by the company viii
bring it greater revenue Il is clear
that the public will gain in comfort
of transportation.
Large expenditures we're alsc
found necessary at the car barn II
order that the cars might be more
thoroughly cleaned and more prompt
ly repaired.
Thousands of dollars have beer
spent for renewal Of the track neal
the p, B. and w station, and, ex
penditures of approximately $4,000
are about to be made for paving anC
track on upper Market street.
Extensive paving programs fol
next year are laid out by the city anC
the company must be prepared to NEE
heavy expenditures for its share o.
this work.
"Some portions of the system
which are now single track, will be
fore many years require to be double
tracked. The expenditures thus IN
volved will be entirely out of pro
portion for a long time to any possible
increase Of revenue due to double
tracking.
New cars, new track, new paving
new car barn space, these have al
run to very large total and in tn,
near future must be further increased
Changes thus far made have been ac
complished by che expenditures of in,
come from the property and of new
capital invested when the preseni
management took control of the lineI
on July 1, 1910. II is now neces
sary 10 obtain further capital and al
the same time it is necessary to con
template the fact that the cost o
operation has a tendency to constant
ly increase.
"The company must, therefore, have
available its full earning capacity in
order to induce the required invest
ment Some years ago the Management
voluntarily offered to the public tickets
at the rate of six for a quarter, eacl
ticket being accepted in lieu of tbs
| legal fare Of &C. The use of thes'
tickets has been large but not uniyer
sal A considerable fraction of the
public still pays the legal fare of sc.
This is, with few exceptions. the
/ general rate throughout the United
! States. About two-thirds of all oul
street railway companies have NJ
/ other rate. AS the largest individual
/ companies are I'm the two-thirds class
II is obvious that something like 81
per cent of our total street railway
traffic must be on this basis.
The average fare for the whole o.
the United States, as reported in a re
cent United States census, is 494. TIL,
average fare in Wilmington cores
ponding is 444, a difference of NOR,
than 10 per cent against the situation
here. If transfer passengers be count