New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-09
JOHN BULL,
SNOWMAN
Continued from page foar)

town; large ornate hotels, few smallish
inns. on the level plats under the hills neat
cream-colored frequently set in curv-
ing rows. perhaps facing little rallied park
ings: how those British builders Of a century
or more ago did love to create their "eireuses'
and their "crescents' so ingenious and withal
so charming
DUT man cannot live on scenery alone. Par
ticularly man who has travelled FOR six
hours down from London in railway train
ard for as many miles in the fresh salt air Of
an early summers dawn. The scenery Of
Torquay, the many, many vistas that it offers
from It's millions. might wait easily; breakfast
simply could not But where to find it. That
was Sabbath, the British Sabbath, if you will.
Most Of the big hotels said that breakfast
would not be ready until 80 or 10; little
one finally cohdcscended to admit me at g
and Jolly good breakfast it was. But the
hour was abominably early. The proprietor
said so. And for verifcation called my atten-
ton that in Torquay upon the Sabbath the
tramcars did not begin their voyagings until
230 in the afternoon.
Yet despite all Of this by 1890 Torquay
was brisk and busy. In England Whitsuntide
is a real holiday; banks, Offices and all the
larger stores closed tightly from Friday night
or Saturday noon until the following Tues
dav morning. There is not another such
breathing space until the Bank Holiday, which
comes at the first week end in August, and
folk who have a passion for the open make
the best Of Whitsurtidc. Particularly when
il is favored by weather 30 fine and so rare ms
4 had in this year Of grace. The combination
brought many folks TO Torquay Although
ttey assured me that it was far from record
crowd. Again n really hard-up England
showing itself. Moreover, there is much COM
plaint here about the railway rates Even
the third-class rates of 3 cents a mile tour
money! arc criticized as being far too high.
And vet the English roads are doing far more
than those Of the United States TO remedy the
situation. For weekend trip Of any sort
ticket is issued-either first or third-second
IS practically obsolete to-day upon the Brit
isb railways-at about a single fare and one
third for the round trip. While for any time
between June and October round-trp is Is
sued at about one fare and two-thirds. Which
&c TRANSFORMATION craftsmanship Of sort that
sooms lost to our American railroad mana
gers at the moment.
Yet the Britisher is far from satisfied
at looks good" he grumbes at you, but
when YOU compare it with what cur lines did
before the war it is as nothing In the first
place all the fares have been raised-a genef-
Gus Is per cent. Then, in those days inc
summer weekend excursion was one fare FOR
the Journey. going and returning, not a fare
ard q third: moreover. the tickets were good
from Friday until Tuesday, not until MONDAY,
rs now. They've got to come some more
DUT in reply you tell him that he is lucky
~ we do not even dream Of having low week
end tickets in our country as yet And the
paesonger service Of the British railway is
not seriously threatened as yet with compet-
ton from the automobile. The char-o-Oa"cS
as the rubbcrncck wagons are known over
here-have cut a bit into their earnings, but
the great threads made by the privately owned
and ororated automobiles into the passenger
earnings Of the American railroad have not
been duplicated in Great Britain, not at least
as vet. Which is quite natural. For, while
we have motor car TO every ten or eleven
persons in the United States, England is still
worrying along with but one TO every 215 OF
her population Which means that the auto
mobile has not yet become serious economic
factor in her social life. Which, Of course, is
not saying that it may not yet become such
factor
Remember again, If you will, that, despite
the famboyant statements printed in many Of
the newspapers in regard to record-breaklng
Whtsuntide crowds, the crowds have been
quite far from unusual Even the lowered
prices have failed 10 attract them to the
trains. The falling of in passenger traffic Of
Great Britain (the most recent figures avail
able) during the twelvemonths Of 1920 for all
has been something like 9S,OOO,OOO riders.
'How can we be expected to make further
cuts in our fares?' the managers protest,
with our wages and other costs so enormously
increased and our riding 50 lessened? We
cannot see our way to reductions-not now,
az any rate
True il is that railway wages have been
increased in England 10 far greater extent
even than in the United States. But there is
| some truth and some reason also in belief
that part of these 9S,OOOOOO lost riders
might perhaps be attracted back to the passen-
ger trains by reasonable further lowering Of
the rates. Nncty-eght millions seems big
&