The Penn's Grove record., 1914-12-18
CAN'T RAISE JERSEY FARES.
Utility Board Refuses Application, and
Suspension Stands-commu-
ters' First Blood.

ters' First Blood.
After a stormy all day hearing
continued until nearly IL o'clock at
night the board OF public utility com
missioners denied a petition of the
Pennsylvania and other railroads for
the revocation of its order suspendfng
the proposed increase in passenger
rates which had been planned to take
enect at once. The order of suspen-
sion IS operative until March Is.
Dire need OF revenue prompted the
roads to revise their passenger fares
upward, according to a statement
mad before the Board of Public
Utility Commissioners BY n. ]
Delong. assistant general passenger
agent OF the Pennsylvania. F. ]. FEELS.
statistician for the road, testified re-
cent railway legislation had added So
100000 to the roads cost. Wages. he
testified, had increased $4,000 900 in
the last 10 years.
It Is impossible according to Mr.. De-
long, for the railroads to reduce their
operating expenses. The public, he de-
clared, Is continually wanting better
service. Delong said the few attempts
MADE to cheaper the service have
been followed by a storm of protest.
This testimony OF Mr.. belong was
given during a hearing upon the appli-
cation for the revocation of the order
OF the board suspending for three
months the proposed new passenger
schedule which was to. have taken
effect Immediately. The railroads
asked that the order be revoked in &C
cordance with the decision handed
down by the Pennsylvania Board of
Public Utility Commissioners last
Saturday, which was regarded as a
partial victory for the commuters.
This decision was in effect that the
roads should continue to issue 100 trim
tickets. at a maximum price Of IL
cents a mile-as against the present
average OF about !. cent, the use of the
tickets being limited to six months in
stead of a year. The Pennsylvania
board also permitted a proposed 25
cent increase on monthly or so trip
tickets and a 90 cent increase on AS
trip school tickets.
Another provision was that 10 trip
tickets shall be retained at a rate
not exceeding 2 cents a mile, instead
OF ~ cents as asked by the railroads.
Except as regards the sale of tickets
to the seashore, the decision permits
the roads to abandon excursion tickets
at reduced rates substituting two one
AUoU furoc for q ~n.-l k-s. ks-r--4
These round trip tickets are to be I'M
limited as to time or stop-over privi-
leges.
Mr.. Fell presented figures showing
that the returns to the railroad during
the rear ending June 80 last were
lower than in any Of the preceding
IA years. The net operating income
in 1914 was the lowest since 1905 in
spite of the fact that since 1905 the
company has invested in property
$4,000, Goo. The net Oc4 porate IN
come was the lowest in the last five
years. The surplus after payment
of dividends or margin Of safety in
1914 was $500, 900, and was the small
est in Is years, being equal to only
seven-tenths of l per cent. on the total
capital obligations.
All of this, said Mr.. Fell, means an
increase in the cost of doing business
without the natural result in the in
crease in the charge for ~transporta-
ton. Transportation expenses which
include the actual cost OF moving the
traffic without regard to the mainten-
m of track or equipment. increased
$1.500,000. This was due to increased
rates Of wages. extra crew laws and
other legislation.
1t was also shown that the operating
ratio, excluding the taxes steadily in
creased. In 1908 it was 6S.5 per cent.
and in 1904 it wal 1867 per cent. In
other words, as expressed by Mr.. Fell.
it now takes more than rs cents QUO
of every dollar to pay operating ex-
penses Notwithstanding that large am
cunts have been expended to reduce
this.