Evening star., 1919-04-09
4 High Car Fares-Two Views.

10 the Editor of The Star:
High street car and interurban line
f4res tend to discourage the building
Of suburban homes and often bring
zbout a congested and slum condition
il the cities. The commission in
Washington would be taking a decid-
ID backward step should they at any
time authorize an Increase in street
CIR fare above 5 cents. To decen-
tFalize and make for better living con-
ditions it is imperative that we
should have cheap. quick. regular and
reliable transportation facilities. On
account of the poor financial condi :
ton OF many street car systems in the
cities Of the country. brought about
through overcapitalization and other
improper financing, their frail bark
can no longer weather the storms and
they are calling loudly to the public
for help, and the public, in justice to
themselves, are rightly refusing to
hear their appeal. Had the street car
ing, war conditions would not have
upset them, for the increased cost of
maintenance would have been offset
by the increased volume of traffic.
Street car fares should be cheaper in
stead of higher. If street railway
companies cannot meet expenses it is
not right or just they should expect
the public to come to their rescue and
help them out of a hole that has been
brought about through their own mis-
management.
We cannot progress and pay high
fares, for it is against building up de-
cent housing conditions. In many Eu-
ropean countries the tendency is to
reduce instead of increase street rail-
way and interurban line fares, so that
the working people may live outside
the cities in decency and comfort. /
am informed that in some sections of
Europe it is possible to commute for
a distance of twenty miles at a cost
Of cents per trip. High fares in
Washington will choke development
and expansion. Every one who has
an interest in clean and wholesome
homes for working people should take
his stand against an increase OF street
car fares in the District of Columbia
ROBERT M. COLLINS.
To ne Editor Of The Star.
At the present time all public utili-
ties are bearing an enormously IN
creased burden compared to pre-war
time. All anti-corporation howlerS, of
guments to the contrary of their pre-
conceived prejudices. Notwithstand-
ing all rational-minded business men
know that, apart from the greatly In
creased cost of material and equip
ment for street railways, a very
serious drain is made into their earn
ings from automobiles and takes. The
cry against "watered stock" is, of
course, always a popular one. yet gen.
orally misconceived and unjust. If a
piece of city real estate is bought and
big improvements are established
round it the value climbs skyward. In
street railways, and particularly sub
urban lines, where bonds must usu-
ally be sold below par and with a
stock bonus, the very extension and
investment of the street car service
must add generally big increment of
value and increased taxes to the
municipality. Thus the stock SO called
water" becomes a very genuine solid
tangible value.
AS to cheap transportation fares for
Suburban lines, the writer is a devout
haliever One instance comes to mind
where three five-cent fares were
charged, two of them in the suburb n
district. The company cut it to two
and found the earnings expanded over
200 per cent, for it increased home
b6ilding and pleasure traffic. I believe
there is no city in America better
adapted to low suburban fares than
Washington. and that attractive low
fares would multiply the earnings
manifold compared to the present
Low fares, big volume of traffic" is
my slogan ELIJAH E. KNOTT.