Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1911-07-06
Sc R. R. FARES
MAY AGAIN PREVAIL IN NORTH
NORTH
Pres. Elliot of Northern Pacific States
ReasOns-Expects General In.
crease in Rate all Over
Country

st. Paul, June 29.-Although Wis
consin to the east has a passenger
fare rate of two cents a mile and
North Dakota to the west a rate of
2h cents, both will be changed to
two cents if the courts allow it, ac-
cording to Howard Elliott, president
of the Northern Pacific railway. The
North Dakota rate, he said will soon
be tested by court proceedings. In
that state and particularly in the
western part, he said, all passenger
trains are now operating at loss
and this is tending to postpone
and improvement of service.
In explaining why the roads will
restore the Scent fare in Minnesota
July !, under the Sanborn decision,
Mr.. Elliott declared that the 2-cent
rate has been given four year trial
and that the results warrant change
back to the old fares. '"The public
does not want any less SERVICE" he
added, than that which the modern
passenger equipment and facilities
provide"
cat the time the 2-cent rate was
enacted by the legislature, the owners
of the properties felt that an injustice
had been done and stockholders of
the various companies brought pro-
ceedings to test in court the actual
results of the rate that was being
charged. 1t is significant to note
that in several more densely populat-
ed states than Minnesota the 2-cent
rate has been found non-compensa-
tory after careful and exhaustive in
| vestigations, and so far as has been
noticed, in no state in which the
subject has been investigated, has a
2-cent rate survived judicial inves-
| tigation after actual tests of results.
"In Pennsylvania and on the rail-
road having perhaps the heaviest
traffic per mile of any in the country
with density of population per
| square mile of ITO persQns-a simil-
ar law was held to be void because
it reduced the earnings to a point
too low to be fair or compensatory.
In Missouri with density of popula-
tion of 48 persons per square mile
similar result was reached. In Ar
kansas with 20 persons per mile, the
question recently has been answered
in the same manner and the same is
true in Oklahoma.
"In Minnesota the most recent fig
ures indicate density of population
of twenty-six persons to the square
mile.
'The subject is being investigated
in other states, because, in the last
analysis, the service that the public
demands and should receive cannot
be furnished for less than it costs
and is fairly worth, and the ability Of
the railroads to serve the travelling
public as it requires is measured by
the fairness of the public towards
them and the amount of earnings
they are permitted to make. Hall-
roads are of necessity heavy and con-
stant borrowers of money, needed to
extend and improve service and ia
cilities and capital cannot be secured
without freedom to earn a fair re-
turn.
"From all the light that has been
thrown on the question there does
not appear to be any substantial
doubt about the correctness of the
conclusion that modern passenger
service cannot be adequately main
tanned on a 2-cent basis.
Tariffs instituting the 3-cent fare
in Minnesota have been printed and
are in the hands of all agents ready
for use July 1.
FUNERAL OF WIN. KASTNER