New-York tribune., 1921-11-06
mand that majority rights be re-
spected they are only practicing
fundamental democracy.
Traction Promise.

Whatever the source, any absolute
pledge to establish and maintain a
hve-cent fare is a promise whose
keeping is doubtful - necessarily
doubtful.
There is not, nor can there be, any
certitude. The fare must provide
for operating expenses, whatever
they are; for The supplies and ma
terials, for maintenance and for a
reasonable return on invested CAPT.
tai. Whether the ownership or op-
Grafton is public or private, there is
no difference. Advances from the
public treasury may screen disa-
greeable fact, but such advances in
crease the fare in another way.
Ten years ago the traction COM
panies entered into contracts which
have proved improbable to them
and to those they interested in their
enterprise. 1t is possible to enforce
these contracts until there is a 100
per cent loss. But in time the re-
sources OF the companies will be ex-
hausted. What then?
Income must in some fashion equal
outgo. By sloughing off unproft-
able lines it is possible for selected
lines to pay their way; but what
happens to patrons Of the divorced
feeders? Operated alone and with
out meeting the deficits Of the ele-
waited lines, the subways at present
can, perhaps, carry themselves. But
with lease cancel. alton, what will be
the effect on elevated lines?
If they charge more than the sub
ways, then traffic will leave them.
If they charge the same, then deficits
will probably bankrupt them. If op-
Grated at all, it will be with slender
service for their hundreds of thou
sands Of users. If five-cent fare
loes not pay, the burden can be
shifted, but not escaped, and the
public will pay.
The law that income must equal
outgo already manifests itself. For
merly genuine fve-cent fare pre-
vailed in this city. Now it does net.
To meet the subway deficits the city
budget annually carries an appro-
priation of $12,5O0,Oo0 to meet in
terest on subway bonds. This means
that the actual subway fare is nearer
seven than five cents.
On the surface lines there is a new
charge of two cents for transfers.
Where the traction breakup is COM
plete the fare for a trip has become
10 cents, or Is cents, and even 90
cents. Of all the frauds of the mu-
nlcipal campaign no one is more i'm
pudent than that the fve-cent fare
has been maintained.
Now, the future of traction income
is unknown, and likewise the future
of traction expenditure. 1t follows
that no one is justified in making fiat
fare pledges. The most that can be
pledged is diligent effort to keep ex-
penditures down or income up to re-
store the five-cent fare, now nom
existent.
The McAneny plan seems to give
a better promise of this than any
other plan proposed. Mayor Hylan
mas no plan at all, and other plans
have been prepared as part of stump
speeches. Mr.. McAneny and his COL
leagues at least have made a careful
study and have attacked the traction
problem from the side of eliminating
waste and unnecessarily duplicated
services. There is basis for hope
in this, but in what else is there?
The traction issue has long been
football of politics. No good has
come out of this practice in the past.
No good is likely to come out of it in
the future. The making of fiat
pledges when only conditional ones
are possible in no wise contributes to
keeping fares low.