The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-28
NEWMAN bARES
TRUE MEANING Of
ZONE FARE PLAN
Continued from First Page)

The first three ! have already
covered. Today we take up Number
Four.
The first thing to get straight In
our minds IL that, as a matter of
fact, the scheme proposed by the
Washington Railway and Electric
is not a zone fare" plan at all.
but double fare" plan.
Zone fare" as usually accepted
when discussing street railway OPP
Grafton, was imported from Europe.
where the system Is in general use.
Broadly speaking. 1t rests on this
principle:
Pay q graduated amount accord
ing to the distance you ride.
In city like Brussels, for In
stance, there will be three or four
zones II you're riding from any
point In the first zone to any point
within that zone you ray small
fare, Q or 3 cents. II you ride
through the first zone and into the
second you pay another cent. and
so on. going up the scale at the
rate of about | cent per zone.
Wants , Zones and 2 Tokens.
No such thing Is meant when the
w. X. & f. asks for "Ione fare"
In Washington. What II wants to do
Is divide the whole District into TWO
zones, and charge the same fare In
each.
For instance, II the fare were five
cents, 1t would charge five cents for
ride anywhere within the first
zone, but another five cents II you
went into the second zone.
That's the reason call IT
DOUBLE FARE plan instead OF a
zone fare plan. And / have such
for my
ment as the Washington Railway
and Electric's expert, imported to
argue for the scheme before the
Public Utilities Commission only a
few DAYS ago. I refer to Prof. Al
bert 8. Richie, OF Worcester. Mass,
the expert advisor OF New England
utilities. He recently said to the
ITtilities Commission here:
"Tbe system Of zoning i have In
mind Is not, In sense, zohing
system at all. as the Ioning plan Is
generally understood
The effect of this system on
suburban residents does not neeu 70
he pointed out to be appreciated
The scheme is merely q variation OF
soak the people who can least
afford to pay"
For IL is a universal rule that
the poorer a person il the further
he must live from the center OF
population, traffic and business
activity. He must go out because
he cannot pay the high rent, re
sulting from high ground Vaiues
downtown.
Right here somebody will say:
But rich people build country homes
and go out to get space and air.
True, BUT THEY DON'T RIDE
ON STREET CARS!
They ride in automobiles. and
we're talking about the folks VINO
drop the tokens In the box.
Here's something else to rernein'
Der: In Europe the zone fare plan
developed from a desire to REDUCE
street car fares. In Washington the
desire to INCREASE street car fares.
You probably ask: why talk
about increasing fares at all: why
not talk about decreasing them
When you ask that perfectly nat
ural question you point straight at
the common denomination that we
find in every one Of the proposed
plans for settling the traction prob
lem.
The Capital Traction is making a
lot Of money on the present fare OF
s cents. Last year 1t cleared 1864
per cent.
The Washington Railway and Elec-
trio IL making a lot less. Last year
1T cleared only 5.61 per cent.
The Capital Traction has officially
shown a willingness to have fares
reduced.
The Washington Railway and Elec-
trio has protested vigorously against
any reduction. 1t says it is not max
ing q reasonable return now. and that
any lower fare would be ruinous.
However, II also says: III you'll
let us have this zone fare plan we're
talking about, then we can take re.
duction."
In other words, II Is a scheme to let
the Washington Railway and Electric
make money on lower rate OF fare,
which the Capital Traction could
make money on WITHOUT a zone
fare.
just Another Crippled Boost.
It is just another one OF the several
suggestions for helping out the less
profitable street car company at the
is much the same as the proposal to
increase electric light rates in order
to give the Washington Railway and
Electric more income and put 1t on
par with the Capital Traction.
About the only difference is that in
one case the additional income would
be taken from electricity users and in
the other from suburban residents
who have to ride long distances on
street cars.
OF course, the application OF the
scheme would, in the end. fail to put
the two companies on the same level
as to earning capacity, because, II the
Washington Railway and Electric
were allowed to divide the District
into two zones and charge one full
fare In each, there would be no ex-
cuse for refusing the Capital Trac-
ton the same privilege, with the re-
suit that relatively the two companies
would be about where they are now.
And now we see the common de-
nominator again clearly. 1t is simply
this:
MERCER OF THE TWO MAJOR
U,r,V- .