Evening star., 1921-09-28

RAIL RATE CHANGE
Proposals Of Washington
and Virginia Company
r HotIy Opposed.


way Company, which, it is said, will
soon be filed with the Interstate
Commerce Commission, were vigorous
ly scored Monday evening at a meet
ing of the Clarendon Citizens Asso-
citation by Fred L. Sharp, vice presi-
dent and chairman of a special COM
mittee of the association, which at
tended conference between railway
officials and members of various civic
bodies of the county held last week,
at which the proposals were discuss
ed. President c. r. Taylor, the other
member of the committee which at
tended the meeting, presided.
"A letter to the company by Mr..
Sharp. in reply to one received by
President Taylor regarding the fu-
| ture policy of the company, in which
he comments on the proposed changes
was read to the association and later
indorsed.
OF all the proposals the one which
draws the sharpest criticism from
Mr.. Sharp in his letter is that with
respect to putting on sale by the
| company of twenty-six trip ticket
good for one person and for one
per trip of 16k per cent above the
present rate per trip of the fifty-two
. trip ticket.
The letter states: "There has been
no demand for such a ticket, and
you were advised specifically at the
conference Tuesday that We did not
wish it. 1t cannot increase your
revenues. The price Of this ticket
per trip would be in excess of the
twenty-five-trip ticket per trip to
points on the Falls Church division
east of the Falls Church group, the
Of LN,1l
tenths of l cent less at West Falls
Church. 1t would be $1.17 less per
book than the twenty -five-trip book
at Enola and 95 cents less than the
twenty y-fve-trip book at Alexandria.
Experience has demonstrated that at
Falls Church your present fffty-two-
trip book. costing $3.50. will not sell,
owing to it's disadvantages, against
the twenty y-five-trip ticket, with fifty
two trips at the twenty -five-t trip
ticket rate, costing $685., or $1.05
more.
Would Not Buy Tickets.
This being the case. and with at
least IS per cent of your Falls Church
division traffic unloading east of
Enola, and 80 per cent of your Mount
Vernon division traffic unloading at
or before reaching Alexandria, how
can you expect this ticket to sell in
any appreciable numbers. much less
become a ticket that will attract
patrons back to your lines? You do
not expect to do SO. That is not
your purpose in proposing it. With
out intending this to be in any sense
threat l advise you that il any
such schedule is filed we shall pro-
test it before the Interstate Com
merce Commission"
The proposed change in the matter
of handling the fifty-two-trip and the
forty-six- tickets will be an ad-
vantage, the letter states. to a few
patrons and will reduce the conges-
ton at the ticket offices, but the
advantages to the patrons will affect
too few to be of consequence in i'm
proving public sentiment toward the
road.
Regarding the proposed time limit
of five days on return tickets the
writer states that he fails to see any
substantial reason for any limit upon
a full-fare ticket, either going or
coming. AS long as communication
tickets are available. the letter con-
tinues. no one is likely to purchase
single one-way and round-trip
tickets in quantities prior to the ef-
fective date of an increase in rates.
b. Rebate Called Just.
The proposal of the company to give
! a rebate of the penalty imposed when
passengers fail to purchase tickets
upon boarding cars at ticket stations
places the matter on a just basis. Mr.
Sharp contends in his letter. and will
/ be appreciated, as will the proposal tC
| inaugurate a freight service from
| Washington to points on the Fails
| Church division, unless accompanied
| by an unreasonable advance in
| charges.
Mr.. Sharp concludes his letter by
stating that the representatives OF
the Clarendon Citizens Association
are much disappointed over the out
! come of the conference, feeling, as
| they do, that except for minor mat
| ters your position had been deter.
mined before extending the invitation
! to meet with you and that the con.
ference was arranged for no other
purpose than an endeavor to assuage
the. Indignation which would be
! likely to arise. and will certainly now
arise. upon fling schedules intended
ultimately to impose further increases
upon your patrons"
| Following the reading Of the let.
! ter Mr.. Sharp, who is said to be one
Of the best posted men on railroad
| affairs in the county. declared tina,
| Representatives of the commuters
| went to the conference thinking anG
hoping that some of their ideas would
| be considered, and possibly some OF
| them adopted and given a trial. but
| such was not the case. He declared
that if the company wants to get back
i its lost patronage and regain the
| public confidence it will have to adop,
spirit more accommodating to the
general public.
! Mr.. Sharp stated that it was his
! opinion that if the Interstate Com.
| merce Commission allowed the TWEEN
ty-six-trip book, the company in six
months time would ask to have the
| twenty five trip book withdrawn.