The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-01-26
INCREASED COST OF
TRANSPORTATION IS
PROBLEM OF BRITISH
BY MARY HENkE.


LONDON, Jan. 10.-Transportatio
is an important item in the high costs
that the British public is trying to
meet, and prospects are that it will go
even higher if the railroad men get
the wage increases they are after.
Every time the government makes
move toward settling the wage prob
lem the announcement comes that
railroad fares will probably be raised
to meet the higher expenses that such
move is sure to create.
At the present time railroad fare is
half as much again as it was in the
Arcadian pre-war days. Another in
crease would probably double it. In
London the tubes or underground rail-
ways have announced an increase
from six to ten cents. The workers
of the new poor" class are protesting
the rise violently. for it means further
reduction in their greatly reduced
pocketbooks.
The honest British workingman as
he is ironically called by the men
who have to pay him his wages. is
taking the announcement with more
equanimity.
We'll, suppose will have to ask
for more money" he says cheerfully
TO his mates.
ri. =. Show Pre-War Fare.
The railroad tickets you buy break
the news to you gently by announcing
in large type the original pre-war
fare, and then stating in smaller type
underneath that so per cent Is to be
added to the above amount, said so
per cent for the purpose of defraying
expenses additional to those betrayed
by the original fare.
At the present time the question of
wage adjustment is still very much up
in the air, the governments latest
proposal having been rejected by the
vote of the railway men. The feature
of the proposal seemed to be a SO
minimum wage for country porters,
and $15 for porters at large station.
The railway porter over here is more
important that he sounds, for unless
The porter does it, no luggage is
handled by the railroads. You have
to have your baggage taken by taxi to
the railway staion-it is the only
present mode of transporting it-and
then when it has been finally deposit
cd at the station it has to be placed at
The mercy of porter. who will see
that it is placed on the right train if
YOU tip him sufficiently. Once porter
T'fplCSldtC d lcu CcuL DuL IO" le
values his services at so cents and
looks unutterable disgust at you if you
give him anything less.
Luggage A "Burden"
An American never values the care
free method in which he travels in
the states until he has once travelled
in England. He has always taken it
for granted that once he placed his
luggage within the baggage room, he
relinquished all responsibility for it
until it reached it's destination. Here
YOUR mind is never free from anxiety.
You have TO get your luggage on the
train, see that it gets off if YOU change
trains, get it safely deposited on an
other train and then see that it is
eafely put off at its final destination.
If it is put off with a quantity of other
luggage, you have to locate tit is
usually at the bottom Of the pile-and
then stand by" until a porter comes
70 YOUR rescue with a truck and carts
il off for you.
Although the English trains can
rival those on American roads for
speed and smoothness CT travel, they
have not the provisions for comfort
demanded and supplied in the states.
Unless you corner a lunch basket,
for which an exorbitant price is asked,
YOU may have to travel the greater
part of the way without food. Some
of the trains attach diners at night
but they are very few, and the hungry
traveller actually longs for the pert
young profiteer who goes through the
train with a basket of chocolates,
cracker jack and chewing gum.
Sometimes the compartments are
heated. More often they are not, and
if some enthusiast for fresh air pulls
down the window the traveller is apt
TO contract chilblains and bad cold
in the course of his journey. The
compartment trains are not without
attraction to the person who likes to
etudy lis fellows, but they are very
firing for long journey, since it is
impossible to move about in them.
The railway service provided for
commuters to London. is excellent.
Trains arrive from the towns along
the east coast every ten or fifteen
minutes, and they are crowded morn
ing and evening with workers going
10 and from the city. Every train
carries from ten to fifteen coaches,
adm the compartments are usually
crowded to standing room. Any fur
Their rise in rates would be an especial
hardship on this commuter class,
which consists chiefly Of clerical
workers whose pay is too low to stand