Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-28
Railroad Rate Increase.

The increase in railroad rates for pas
sengers and freight service recalls that
the charges of the railroads have been
almost doubled in six years. and con-
seauently there is much speculation just
now as to whether or not they have even-
tually reached the peak. With every ad-
vance the public has made grimace and
accepted the situation with the belief that
the rates had arrived at point they
could not pass, in other words, all the
public would stand. The increases. how
ever. have been gradual until the more
recent ones, when the jump was 25 and
later 20 per cent
At the present time railroad travel is
indeed almost a luxury, more expensive
perhaps than travel by automobiles where
FIVE or six passengers are carried and the
cost estimated on pro rata basis Now,
with the recent advance in trolley fares,
every inexpensive avenue but one is closed
to the people of Wilmington. The ex-
ception is the Wilson line of steamboats,,
which goes along undisturbed by outside
conditions, uninHuenced by war or peace,
running on price schedule that seems to
have been little changed for twenty years
or more.
Whether the raise in the price of rail-
road transportation will keep people at
home more than they have been accus-
toned to in recent years is question. II
it does, it perhaps will be blessing in dis
guise, for there can be no doubt the pub
lichas gotten into an unwholesome restless
mood. In the last three or four years all the
railroads have been heavily taxed to ac-
commodate passengers. Should this
traffic decrease in volume, as it is likely to,
the railroads and the trolley lines may not
be large gamers by the advance.
The sale of communication tickets on
Wednesday. the last day of the old rate be-
fore the advance of 20 per cent. became
effective, showed that the travelling public
were very keen to avail themselves OF the
ticket sale, and railroad offices every
where were rushed to the limit of capacity
to meet the demands of patrons. More
than 1900 ten-trip tickets alone were
sold from the Pennsylvania offices here.
the BUYERS saving more than dollar ON
each In the larger cities the offices swarm
ed with travellers all day until midnight,
while the Pullman ticket windows also
were beseiged. Hundreds and thousands
of tourists moved ahead the dates of their
outings in order to avail themselves of the
lower existing rate.
BUYERS of tickets on Wednesday were
brought to further realization OF the
difference in the fare offered Pennsyl-
vania commuters than the rate charged
those from this State. For example,
50-trip ticket between Marcus Hook and
Philadelphia. good for six months, was
sold at SIC. 40, while the only Communication
tickets sold from here were for ten trips,
costing s5.ss. In addition there was the
monthly ticket good for thirty days, that
sold for sI1.I5. The 50-trip ticket, good
for six months, it is explained. is sold IN
Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York,
but not in Delaware.
The new freight schedules, it is said,
will represent similar advance for the
shipment Of goods and the public.
everywhere in this country will watch
with interest the effects Of this big ad-
vance on the volume of travel. and the
financial results.