New-York tribune., 1920-08-26
Increased Rail
Rates Go Into
Effect To-day
Commuters Living in New
Jersey and Connecticut
Rush to Buy Tickets
Under the Old Schedule
Roads Seek New Hearing
Intrastate Fares Not Yet
Affected. Through Order
of Public Service Board

The new railroad rates become effec-.
tive at midnight and new test of
daptability awaits this morning the
commuter, who mastered so readily the
intr cacies of a double standard of
TIME Only those whose homes are in
New Jersey, or Connecticut, however,
will be affected for the present, the
Public Service Commission not yet
having approved the 20 per cent ad
vance in passenger rates for travel
within the state.
Many commuters living in New Jer
sey and Connecticut will be able to
travel to and from their business at the
old rates for some time to come also,
as the passenger traffic committee of the
City Association of Trunk Line Railways
cancelled yesterday morning instruc-
tions under which most communication
tickets sold at the old rates would have
been invalid for passage to-day and re-
deemable for cash for only few days.
With the cancellation of this order
a bargain day in communication tickets
was declared, and those who bought
them yesterday will be able to travel
at the old rates until the expiration
of the time limit on the tickets. The
committee gave no reason for cancel
ing its order, but it is thought that
the policy of the Pennsylvania Rail
road in continuing to sell communication
tickets at the old rate had something
to do with it.
The Pennsylvania Railroad sells
communication tickets good for a cer-
tain period after the date of sale,
while those of the Central Railroad
of New Jersey, the Erie, the Lacka-
wanna and the West Shore are good
Only for the month in which they are
scld A passenger official of the Cen
"a Railroad of New Jersey said that
this difference in system was the cause
or the Pennsylvania policy.
When the order of the passenger
traffic committee was Cancelled yes
terday the Central Railroad of New
Jersey, the Erie, the Lackawanna and
the West Shore, which had suspended
the sale of their monthly tickets, placed
them on sale again at the old rates
until midnight.
Mr.. Shinn, the passenger traffic
manager of the Erie, said that the
tickets Of that road bought yesterday
at the old rates would be good for pas
sage until January /. The road would
have adopted that policy in the first
place, he said but for the order of
the passenger traffic committee
1t was announced that the New York
New Haven 4 Hartford Railroad would
recognize until September l all COM
mutation tickets bought before mid
night at the old rates. Communication
tickets bought at the old rates and
good on their face for travel after Sep
tember l will be redeemed at their face
value until September l.
TIL Pennsylvania Railroad announced
that it had taken the position it did
with regard to commutaton tickets to
avoid "even the appearance of dis
scrminat6ry treatment" The Pennsyl-
vania's sixty-trip monthly tickets,
forty trip monthly school tickets, ten
trip tickets good for three months,
fifty-trip tickets good for six months,
160-trip tickets good for three months
and 150-trip season tickets "will be
Good until he. expiration of the time
limit named on their face" according
to the announcement of the railroad.
The New York Central and other
roads affected by the decision of the
Public Service Commission are seeking
to have hearing in the matter of the
rate increase similar to the hearing
which state authorities in Illinois are
to give the Illinois Central Railroad
September 8. An officia! of the New
York Central expressed confidence
that the Interstate Commerce Com
mission would act promptly to elimi-
nate the confusion caused by State
Commissions which have refused to
authorize the increase in rates for
intrastate travel.