Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-10-22
ZONE FARE
DECISION
SOON
Hearing on Merits Of Public
Service Corporation Contin-
ued Yesterday at Trenton.
BY Special Correspondent.

BY SpeCfuI COTTeSpOhdenCs
TRENTON, Oct. 22-As the result
Of the latest hearing here a decision
from the Public Utility Commission
on the question of the zone fares may
now be expected any day. 1t was
thought today that when the board
makes known its finding they will
not call for an abandonment of the
zone plan, but modification of the
present rates on the lines of the
Public Service Railway Company. 1t
is the belief that the basic fare will
probably be five cents for the first
zone with some additional cents for
longer rides.
Standing before the Utility Board
here yesterday, President Thomas N.
McCarter, of the company, expressed
his doubt as to the efficacy of any
zone plan giving the company the
$28,000,000 in revenue which it esti-
mates as necessary every year to op-
crate it's lines. OF this amount
$25, 100000 is for operating expenses
alone before any thought of dividends
may be considered. However, Mr..
McCarter did offer several suggestive
notifications of the present zone plan
which he said might come near"
meeting the company's financial re-
quirements. However, he was careful
to say that none of them should be
accepted as his definite ideas for the
solution of the same problem Of fares.
In substance they follow:
Five cents for the first two miles,
seven cents for the third, nine cents
for the fourth and thereafter cent
mile until such time as that rate
translated into figures produces a
rate below one and a half cents a
mile, after which Communication tickets
would be sold at the rate of one and
onequarter cents a mile.
Five cents for the first two miles.
seven cents for two more zones and
then a jump to 10 cents up to the
seventh zone and five cents for every
three zones thereafter, after Which
Communication tickets as before men
toned.
Seven cents for the first three miles,
with q cent a mile thereafter, and an
additional cent for each transfer.
In concluding his remarks before
the commission, Mr.. McCarter said
his company was ready to receive
any reasonable" solution of the Zon-
| Ing system problem, but In the event
! none such was forthcoming the COM
pany would be compelled to renew Its
application for abandonment or the
| zone plan of fares and ask for re-
turn to the flat rate OF cents with
the one additional cent for a transfer
Camden and the other South Jersey
! communities still coptended for re-
! turn to fiat rate. preferably of f1Ve
| cents.
George L. Record appeared for
Jersey City, the representatives OF
which city walked out of the Newark
conference with the Public Service
| officials on Monday. He wanted TO
know more about the S20,OO0,ooO a
wear revenue which the company Is
asking for, contending it was pre-
posterous to throw the question OF
modifying the zone plan on the un-
informed representatives of the mu-
| nicipalities How do we know
whether the company is entitled TO
! s28,OO0,OOO?" asked Mr.! Record.
He went into the question OF
"watered stock" and broken con-
| tracts concerning fares, matters
! which have been so much at issue in
| the whole trolley fare controversy,
| He said there was no longer war
emergency which would allow the
board to continue to grant the COM
pany increases.
! Lets call a halt on giving more
money" he declared.
His main point was that no such a
further move of this character should
| be made until the valuation of the
company's property is completed
InlS mas Deell III pI oel CsoE9 oiliNo Ae'o'
March and is expected to last an
other two months. Work on it is be-
ing pushed every day. Record said
If q rate was fixed on the fair valua-
ton of the property it could then be
carried to the courts for approval
and after that neither the patrons
nor the company could have any
further objection.
CONTINUED on page 81