Arizona republican., 1922-06-17
THREE CENT FARE
HEARING WILL Be
HELD HERE TO-DAY

hearing OF the "3-cent 1are case
initiated several years ago by the
corporation commissions of Arizona,
New Mexico and Nevada, to secure
reduction of fares applying to intra-
state passenger traffic in these states,
will begin at 10 o'clock this morning
in the Hotel Adams before Examiner
Henry c. Keene of the interstate
commerce commission. Fifteen wit
nesses have been called by the Arl-
zona corporation commission, Amos
Belts, Arizona corporation commls-
Sloner, announced yesterday Ihe
hearing is expected to last all day.
This is the second of the three
hearings of the case scheduled by the
interstate commerce commission after
granting the application of the state
commissions for a rehearing of the
matter following the adverse decision
of the interstate commerce commls-
sion last year. The first hearing was
| held on June 8 in Carson City, New,
and the last hearing will be held in
Santa Fe, n. NJ, on June 2f.
The commissions of the three states
involved are seeking to obtain a re-
duction of passenger rates applying
within the states from the present
rate of AS cents a mile to one of 3.6
cents a mile, the uniform rate which
applies to all other states without ex
ception. This rate of as cents
mile, the commission claims, applies
only to main line roads in the three
states, rate of and cents mile
being charged on branch roads
1t is the contention of the commits
sioners of the three states involved
lz.x% hn- Ssfa tr,e. Il sol an
brak with other Western states in
account of the higher rates which
are in effect, and that the railroad
companies carry these passengers on
through these states to the states
where the lower rates prevail. They
claim the lower rates attract the
tourist and the homeseeker and that
the higher rate is discriminatory
against the states in which it applies.
1t was shown at the recent hearing
of the case in Carson City. ]. H.
Shaughnessy, chairman of the public
service commission of Nevada, who
is in Phoenix to represent Nevada at
the hearing today, declared, that land
in Nevada priced at $40 an acre went
begging on account of lack of settlers
while land in Idaho priced at SIS an
land. was settled rapidly by home
seekers because the lower rate at
tracted them to that state. The same
condition prevails in Arizona and
New Mexico, Commissioner Belts as
serted.
The matter of the extra fare apply
| ing to round trip tickets to the East
or West when routed one way over
another road will be taken up at the
hearing today, Mr.. Belts said. For
example, he explained. person buy
ing roundtrip ticket to Chicago
from Phoenix over the Santa Fe and
returning over the Rock Island and
Southern Pacific lines. must pay an
extra fare of $3.50. The same thing
applies to all three states, he added.
while in California and the states
where the 3.6 cents rate prevails, the
roundtrip passenger Is routed over
other roads, going or coming, without
the extra fare charge.
The commissions also contend that
the order of the interstate commerce
commission in 1918 is discriminatory,
in that the order raised the rates in
densely populated states from 2 cents
Il mile to cents, while the higher
rate of 4 cents in Nevada, Arizona
and New Mexico remained un-
changed. The 20 per cent increase in
passenger fares granted in 1920 by
the interstate commerce commission,
Mr. Betts said. made the uniform rate
in the other states 3.6 cents mile,
while the rate in the three states was
raised to As cents mile.