The Washington herald., 1918-07-02
HIGHER FARES
REDUCETRAVEL
Many Effects Of Generally
Increased Prices Noted
by Holland.

While high prices for various COM
nodities seem not greetly to have cur
tailed retail buying excepting in those
cases vhere food regulations limit
the quantity that can be purchased
at any one time by any one person,
nevertheless, there are already de-
tected some rather curious effects
Of the increased prices. especially
railroad fares and the charges for
frst-class postage, How 1t may be
IN other parts OF the country Is yet
TO be disclosed, but in New YORK,
and, II is understood. In Phiiaoei-
phia and Boston. the recent increase
is railroad passenger fares has re-
suited in a considerable falling ON IN
local traffic- That Is not true ot
communities which are within only
a few miles of the large mercantile
business centers- But 1t Is true OF
other communities which are situa-
ted thirty miles or more from tnese
Centers.
II there be a falling OF In part OF
the passenger revenues which Is
traceable to the increase in fares. On
the other hand business men In small
communities are already discovering
that they are to be benefited. More
and more the Inhabitants OF small
villages which are situated thirty
miles or more from large cities made
a habit Of going now and then TO the
cities in order to do their domestic
shopping. This was due to low rail-
road fares. The storekeepeTs in these
small towns have complained that the
attractions and opportunities which
the large cities offer have tempted
the home dwellers in their eommu-
mites away from the local shops.
small Tswn shops Gain.
But now it has been observed
since the increase in railroad fares
was put into effect that the busi-
ness of the shopkeepers in the
small towns has increased. There
may be a saving of from forty to
fifty cents upon the round trip. IL a
shopper chooses to buy at home In
stead of taking a railroad train to
a large city. Although this may
be a small amount nevertheless II
will serve well for the purchase OF
little commodities Of household
use.
The small shopkeepers are great
Iy pleased, feeling assured that
more and more the townspeople Will
patronize the home shops, especially
in cases where there can be con-
siderable saving.
Yet on the whole the department
stores in New York and in other
large business centers report sat
isfsctory summer business. In New
York there is estimated to be very
large number. perhaps as many as
5000, who are making temporary
sojourn here and who are doing a
good deal Of shopping in the depart
msnt stores. The lower priced COM
medities find a fairly ready market
in comparison with the articles
which are now Fetailed at high cost.
Nevertheless there seems to be no
great curtaiIment OF purchases of
these articles. How-it fbe later
on in the year and how the next
liberty loan and other methods by
which money is withdrawn from
customary use in order to aid the
government will affect the situa-
tien remains to be determined.
According to reports. not oficial
but apparently fairly well authenti-
Gated. the increase of one cent for
postage upon a post card has served
greatly to decrease the demands for
these cards. One of the reports.
which may or may not be fairly
accurate, states that the sale OF
postal cards has fallen OF seventy
ave per cent, since under the new
law an additional one cent postage
stamp is needed IL the card is to be
forwarded through the mails to the
address written upon it. If that
estimate be true or even partially
true IL will result not in an increase
in revenue but instead decrease in
revsnue-
Letters Sent Fewer.
What effect the increase of first
class letter postage from cents to
7 cents will have upon the revenues
il not yet known, but IL is the inn
preston that there has already been
some falling off in the number Of
letters now mailed as compared with
, he number mailed when the rate was
cents. II the Postmaster General
ter on should report that q con-
iderable falling OF In the use Of
he mails for first-elass letters has
followed the imposition Of the l
cent additional stamp then there will
be fairly good proof of the sound
ness Of the reasoning which led Con-
gress q little over thirty years ago
10 reduce the postage rate upon first
class matter from 3 cents per ounce
10 cents. Mr.. Hill. who represented
a New Jersey district in Congress In
the administration of President Ar
thur, sponsored the agitation and led
in the movement in Congress which
had for It's purpose the decrease Of
letter postage from . esnts to cents.
He was supported in his elaborate
and very detailed argument by Thorn
as L. James who at that time or a
little earlier was Postmaster Cen
sral Mr.. James went 30 far a. to
say that his study OF the postal reg
ulations and Of the use Of the mails
convinced hirn that the lower the
rata Of postage the larger the rev.
enus Of the government. He was
persuaded that the time would come
when q 1-cent postage stamp would
carry q letter to any part of the
United States and this low charge
would result in such enormous in
crease of the malls as to bring Q
revenue to the Postofhce Department
considerably In excess of the ex-
psnditures. Representative Hill in
his argument to Congress took the
same view and predicted that if the
postage rate were reduced from 3
cents to cents the increase in mails
would be followed by q larger rev.
enue than the government received
while . cents was charged for hrst-
class mailing matter.
Government May Lose.
He persuaded Congress to accept his
view and the experiences which fol-
lowed the reduction Of postage sus-
tanned his prediction. OF course the
InnnAaaA In NhA r,naIla ~ that hIr,nn