The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1915-06-17
FAiR PASSENGER RATES.

Our western state legislatures have
made a hopeless muddle of the rail.
roads demands for increased passen.
ger fares, because legislative bodies
cannot intelligenty decide admins
trative questions. Only investigation
and study can settle the reasonable.
ness or unreasOnab,eness Of the ad.
vances asked for. 1t is proper for
the legislatures to say that the rail.
roads shall be regulated, but experts
must do the actual regulating.
After perfunctory audiences, the
legislatures Of the various states,
without any reliable or accepted fig.
ures. have stifed the railroads de-
mands in committee or ON the floor.
Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota,
Nebraska, North and South Dakota
and Michigan have provided regulat-
Ing commissions and the legislatures
themselves have ample powers of in.
vestigation, yet not in single in
stance have the questions been re-
ferred TO responsible agent.
Indications are that the passenger
business is not bearing its fair share
OF the costs and that the Illinois man
rfacturer is right in asserting that
the shippers have been bearing an
extra burden. Density of populat on
makes passenger traffic and it fol-
lows that the heavier the traffic the
lighter the cost per unit of transpor-
tation. Illinois, with population of
i9l per mile Of railroad subscribes
lower tariffs than eight eastern states
with population OF 1896 per mile.
TIE interstate commerce commission
recently allowed the eastern carriers
an increase to 2is cents per mile, and
the supreme court of Pennsylvania.
considering population of 704 per
mile. held the cent law eonisca-
tory
Figures compiled by the Pennsyl.
vania lines cast of Pittsburgh reflect
the operating results OF all steel
trains. daylight limiteds. monumental
terminals. and the competitive condi-
tions of the passenger business. In
1908. Sc per cent OF the dollar earned
by passenger traffic went to pay pas
senger operating expenses. In 1910
it had swollen to 30 per cent and in
1912 to ?S per cent. The freight ratio
in the Same period stood steady at 10
per cent The comparative net earn.
ings Of the three years follow:
lpIc loio 1903
Passenger
rcvcnur 7o..ooe s.lo2.l0s iI.co4.ssl
Net revenue
per pa>srt
ger train
miis IL cents 40 ccuts 81 cent,
But the rate question has not been
settled. anu our western states ara
confronted with the paradox OF ac-
cepting the final decision frcm the
federal courts or from the interstate
commerce commission. If the western
roads succeed in establishing the 2i2
cents mile basis on interstate traf-
fic, as seems likely from the situa-
,ion in the east. The question of dis.
elimination will be raised imme ediate-
| ly as result Of the lower intrastate
fare. Commercial interests will not
tolerate conflicting passenger fares.
The same question was settled by
w. eNpi'b'S Nout as ieAdiaS IitiS VI
charges in the famous Shreveport de
cision. In cases Of discrimination the
interstate rate is controlling. so the
state legislatures will have accom-
plished nothing except to furnish aid
and comfort TO the enemies of state
regulation as opposed to federal reg
| Ulation Perhaps in doing so they
are performing public service, if an
nn.ntentional one.-Chicago Tribune,
MAY %. 1915.