Evening star., 1921-10-01
VIVA. ROAD DENIES
TRIP TICKET STORY
Manager Asserts 1t Has No
Intention of Attacking
25-Trip Provision.

Assurance that the Washington and
Virginia Railway Company has no IN
tention Of petitioning for the abolish
ment of it's present twenty-five-trip
ticket was given today by M. G. STRAIT
ton, general manager of the road.
Mr.. Stratton made this assertion in
reference to statement made by
Fred l.. Sharp at a meeting OF the
Clarendon Citizens Association Mon
day night to the effect that if the In
terstate Commerce Commission al
lowed the twenty-six-trip ticket de-
sired by the railway. the company
would, within six months time, ask to
have the twenty y-five-trip ticket book
withdrawn. Mr.. Stratton's eXplana-
tion was as follows:
Relating to the statement appear
ing in The Evening Star OF September
rs in regard to the. action of the Clar-
endon Citizens Association in refer
ence to the Washington and Virginia
Railway Company'S request to the IN
terstate Commerce Commission to in
troduce a twenty-six-trip ticket over
its system, we desire to clear up GER
tain statements and charges made by
Mr. Sharp, vice president of the asso-
citation and chairman of special
committee thereof which attended a
and members of various civic bodies
held last week.
Statement of Proceedings.
"At the hearing before the inter-
state commerce committee relating to
an increase in rates over this COM
pany's system, the Washington and
Virginia Railway Company petitioned
to have the twenty-f1ve-trip ticket
withdrawn. This met with strong
protest from the commuters of va
rious localities on the system, and the
Washington-Virgini Railway Com
pany sent to the Interstate Com
nerce Commission a statement that
if, in the judgment Of the commits
sion. it were wise to continue the
company would suggest rates for
such tickets. which rates were in
closed in that letter. The statement
made by the railway company before
the commission was that the average
price for the twenty -f1ve-trip ticket
of the one-way fare, but explained
that from Washington to nearby
points. which included Clarendon, the
rate should be 80 per cent of the
one-way fare from Washington to
Clarendon; from points from Clar-
80 per cent of the one-way fare from
Washington. and from points beyond
this to the terminus of the road
should be approximately 70 per cent
of the one-way fare from Washing
ton.
The commission in it's findings as
sumed that the railroad company de-
sired an average Of 80 per cent, but
ruled that this average should be 70
per cent.
by this ruling the rates on the
twenty-five-trip ticket from Washing
ton to Clarendon were increased just
cents, and there was also a small
increase up to Falls Church, whereas
on other sections of the property
both on the Falls Church and Mount
Vernon divisions, the increase was a
material one.
Expect Demand for Ticket.
after making a considerable study
officials Of the road decided to intro
duce the twenty-six-trip ticket at an
increase Of 16a per cent over the rate
for the ffty-two-trip ticket for the
same number of trips.
Feeling that there was demand for
this ticket, as expressed by a number
of it's patrons, first, because of the fact
that many riders did not care to invest
the full amount at once in the COM
mutation rate for the flfty-two-trip
ticket. and, second. because there were