Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-01-26
STATE HOUSE
BENJAMIN F. cleaves Of Biddeford,

,u....
benjamin r. Cleaves Of Biddeford.
chairman Of the Maine Public Ctih-
ties Commission, states that il IS
hardly necessary to more than call
the attention to the very serious sit
ua,ion with reference to electric rail-
roads all over the country as every
newspaper has contained a tale Of
disaster.
There are only about 50 many
people within the territory served by
any street railway who regularly
ride and IL u from these regular rid
ers that the railway must obtain Its
revenue" said Chairman Cleves.
THE same increase in the cost OF
operation which worked such havoc
for the steam railroads has similarly
effected the street railways- Being
obliged to increase wages. being COM
PEELED to pay an enormous increase
in all operating costs. running even
20 the line so far as an operating
profit was concerned. the street rail-
ways Of the entire country have had
very gloomy year.
In Maine the Public Utilities Com
mission feels that we have been
rather more fortunate than some OF
our neighboring states. While fares
have been increased upon practically
all Of the electric railways. On some
to six cents and On oihersvto seven
cents. the latter figure is the high
limit, and with a single exception
there have been no receiverships and
without exception the street railways
have continued to perform in practi-
cally a normal manner their public
duties.
The rate paying public has very
generally understood and accepted
the necessity for increased fares. In
the same spirit our people have sub
mitted 10 some curtailment Of SER
vice. At the close Of the past year the
situation generally throughout the
State was encouraging, and the re-
ports filed by the various street
railways with the commission indi-
cate an unusually good summer bus
mess and an increase during the fall
months over the previous two years.
Upon the Portland Street Railway
the commission inaugurated a ticket
system which we believe has finally
established itself in the favor Of both
the travelling public and the railway
officials. In the beginning both these
interests were opposed to the COM
missions scheme. It was, however.
tried out and We believe today Meth
er the patrons Of the road nor the Of
fcials would for moment listen to
the proposition of going back TO the
old method.
+, The zone system and ticket sys-
tenn inaugurated upon the Portland
Street Railway cannot be exactly
applied to all other street railways.
hut we believe ultimately the zone
system will be found to be the fair
est method for the collection OF sur
burban fares and will ultimately be
found necessary by practically all OF
our street railways. A few years ago
the street railway was the popular,
il not the only, transportation facil-
ity which the summer visitor in
hdXuS tIup!OS GU So4AS RAoIS
to place. During the summer months
street railways doing i large summer
business were able to accumulate a
sufficient surplus TO carry them
through the leaner winter months.
During the past several years the au-
tomobile has become the vacationists'
vehicle Of transportation and the
revenues of the street railways have
been very materially diminished
Again the short rider in the larg-
er communities. paying for his ride
more than the cost or value Of the
service, made it possible for street
railways to be extended into sub
urbs for considerable distances and
enabled residents Of these suburbs
to travel to and from the larger COM
munities at a price which was rather
less than the cost or value of the SER
vice.
But the combined revenue deriv-
ed from rendering the two services
was Of sufficient volume to enable
the street railways to pay their way.
| Today very many Of the short riders,
the vacationiSts, use automobiles.
The result is that the margin be
tween operating revenues and oper-
a;ing expense has virtually disap-
peared. 1t is seriously contended by
many street railway managers that
suburban fares must in some way be
raised. and it is thought that the
fairest way is to zone the suburban
lines, make each zone somewhat
shorter than it is at present, charge
the same fare within each zone and
thus increase revenues while at the
same time not compelling the subur-
ban rider TO pay more than the cost
or value Of the service rendered to
him"