Paragould soliphone. (Paragould, Ark.) 1918-1950, 1922-01-20
SEN. ROBINSON
PLEADS FOR
LOWER RATES
Representative From Arlsan-
sas Says Both Freight and
Passenger Charges Should
Be Reduced.

Washington. Jan. 10 Senator
Robinson of Arkansas, in a speech il
the Senate yesterday in favor q
legislation providing for the issu
ance of mileage books on the rail
roads, launched a vigorous demand
for a decrease in both freight an6
passenger rates. which, he contend
ed, would result in increased rather
than decreased revenues for The
railroads.
Passenger and freight rates arc
SO high now that they discourage
travel and shipping" declared Sena-
tor Robinson. He said that reduc-
tion of rates would, in his opinion
not only revive business throughout
the country. but would increase
revenues for the railroads.
Nothing has been done to in
jure business so much as increased
railroad rates. he said while
there is nothing Congress could dc
that would put more life and en-
thusasm in business and industry
than to decrease the rates
Senator Robinson cited Figures
showing that during the first hall
OF 1920, when passenger rates aver
aged 90 cents per mile, 16S rail
roads derived 1854, ,586,242 in rev
enues, while during the correspond
ing period of 1921, when rates aver
aged 3.f3 cents per mile, the same
railroads derived $575,254,211, or
less than $1O,O0O,00O more than
under the lower rates.
High Rates Discourage Travel.
In proof OF his contention that the
higher rates discouraged travel the
senator said that the number Of
fares in the first half of 1920 was
595,771.000, which dropped during
the first half of 1921 to 522,195,0O0,
and that the average distance of
Journey decreased from 3641 to
35.04 miles.
The senator also presented similar
figures relating to freight, mail
and express, which he said he had
not had the opportunity to analyze
but was prepared to make the gen
oral statement that conclusion was
warranted that the same or greater
revenues might be obtained by a
judiciOUs reduction of rates.
l. G. G, Must Act,
''Such reductions" he said, could
net be made arbitrarily or on a per
centage basis. and could not be done
by Congress, but must be left to the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
As in the case Of passenger fares,
the figures presented by Senator
Robinson showed that during the six
months of lower rates there was a
difference of less than 100000
between the revenues for that period
than for the period OF the higher
rates, while the tonnage dropped
from 1,020,11S to 799,360, or APP
proximately % per cent.
81 believe" he said, "that there is
a general opinion that if the rail
roads desire an increase in operating
revenues they may better accomplish
that end by a substantial and judi
cious reduction of both freight and
passenger rates rather than main
tanning the present exorbtant
rates
Senators Pomerere of Ohio and
Cummins Of Iowa contended that
this was a matter for the Interstate
Commerce Commission to determine
and that the commission should be
permitted to do so.
"If | thought the commission
would act and act promptly rejoin-
ed Senator Robinson. II would have
no objection to referring it to the
commission, but the commission has
had it under consideration for
months and equally divided on the
question Of policy"
In support of the pending bill
authorizing the issuance Of mileage
books at IL cents mile, Senator
Robinson pointed out that there is
great demand for these books
especially among drummers, manu-
facturers and jobbers' associations
farming organizations and theatrical
and moving picture people.
Issuance of mileage books, he
said, will benefit both railroads
and the public, will tend to stimu,
late travel, will not materially re-
duce revenues from passenger traf-
fic, but will tend to increase rev
enIleS generally "