The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-03-08
Especial from United Press.)


Hartford, March 5.-Threatened
with lower fare movements in Nauga-
tuck. Bridgeport, New Haven and
other cities. the public utilities COM
missions denial, yesterday, of Man
chester's petition for 10 cent IN
stead Of the present Is cent fare TO
and from Hartford was acclaimed,
Today, as one of the greatest victories
<or the railroads In state history.
What BODIES Ill for future popular
petitions for reduced trolley rates. In
the opinion Of experts, are those por-
lions Of the commissions lengthy
finding dealing with fare zones, valua-
tion, relation of single line to the
whole Connecticut Company's system
and improved service. /,
The Manchester complaint cited
that. for the middle zone-only lit
tie over a mile long-the company
charged nve cents. This evidence
was made the basis of the charge Of
unreasonableness of the Is cent
through fare. On this point, the
commission said:
The middle zone is through q
thinly settled territory and the short
ening Of this zone by the company
extended the length of the moro
modated q larger number of local
travellers and In NO way affected the
through fares"
The populous districts should
make up for the smaller revenues in
sion said. in effect.
80 say that the income of any
particular line or branch of street
railway which may be operated at
large profit to the company and helps
10 maintain Improbable lines, should
be reduced to a bare reasonable IN
come would in our opinion, work a
general hardship to the state, would
minimize the investment of capital In
street railway operation and retard
which depend SO largely on street
railway facilities"
On the other hand, said the COM
mission. this burden on the cities
should not be "exorbitant or unrea-
eonable."
The appraised valuation of the road
acceptable to the commission was
S90O,000, although the petitioners
swore that it cost no more than
$326,O0O to build the line. On the
Soue per sarss cen Rs ne Pae rhe
last annual report of the Connecticut
Company shows that 1t only paid a
2h per cent. dividend which devel-
ops, charge the petitioners, the great
smount of water in the company's >
of the road or its present watered
capitalization is the proper basis for
estimating its value, said the COM
mission in its finding, but "the cost OF
reproduction at the present time in
this particular case is a more accur-
commission has followed in deter
mining such value"
The railroads advantage in a rate
case in pleading that the earnings of
whole system is illustrated in the
commissions decision where 1t said
"As tho line from Hartford to Man
chester Is operated in connection
with and as part of the Hartford
division and the Hartford division in
turn II q part of the Connecticut
Company's entire system, 1t has been
found Impossible to determine the
exact figures OF the revenues and ex-
penscs Of the branch line from Hart
The commission considers eight pei
cent. reasonable return on electric
street railway investments. cit was
considered" said the finding, Gin the
briefs filed by the attorneys for the
petitioners that eight per cent. would
not be an unreasonable return of in
come on electric street railway in
vestments and we do not find that the
total net revenues or income received
by the Connecticut Company from
the operation of its lines in the Hart
ford Division is exorbitant or unrea-
sonable."
What is needed. the commission
said In effect, Is not change in fares
but improvement in service 1--WE dc
not wish, however, to imply or ex-
press the opinion that there may not
be individual cases in certain lOcaIf-
ties where the present rates are un.
reasonable.
There is an increasing demand tor
more and better type of cars, more
frequent service and a general i'm
provement for the safety and accom-
rnod ffan of the nnhIif> %