The New York herald., 1922-04-16
URGE MILEAGE BOOK
TO BOOST BUSINESS
Commercial Travellers Ask
House to Pass Bill as Did
Senate.
Special Dispatch to THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.


New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. c., April Is.
More than 100000 commercial trav-
elers. actors and motion picture opera
tors through their business associations
are cooperating In a campaign to per-
suade the house 1t should pass Senate
Bill S4S providing for the issuance Of
mileage book good on any railroad III
the United States. The Senate passed
the bill in January.
Issuance of interchangeable mileage
books providing for the sale of passenger
transportion at wholesale rates, will tend
to stimulate all business interests
throughout the country, according to
members OF the national council Of
travelling salesmens associations.
High railroad rates have worked to
reduce the number of travelling statesmen
MT regular employment by 90 per cent.
the council members say. This. they
point out has reduced the amount OF
goods sold by manufacturers bringing
part time operations of mills and rae
tories and creating unemployment.
Make a law OF the Interchangeable
mileage book bill and the economic de-
preston would be left behind sooner
the travelling men argue. At least oou.-
200 mileage books would be sold immedl-
ately they promise Issuance OF iIiiisasu -,
books by railroads was prohibited by
William G. McAdoo as Director Generai
of the Railroads. None OF the roads re-
sumed issuance OF the books when lney
were returned to private control. Inc
proposed interchangeable book, hoWeVei,
never has been issued in the United
States.
WouId Help Railroads.
interchangeable books would help the
railroads financially 1t is argued py Gu
couraging travel :,
The interchangeable book proposeu ~
the Senate bill would be GOOD LOT .
minimum Of 1000 miles of passage anu
not more than 5000 miles. The 5,OOo
mile book would be furnished at lower
rate per mile than the 1000 mile pooh
on the theory that any COMMONLY
should be sold at lower rate when pur-
chased in large quantities.
The travelling men also want Con-
yress to abolish the surcharge OF oO per
cent. on Pullman fares The Increased
passenger rates and the surcharge now
make the cost of travel approximately
it Is declared.
High passenger fares are driving
many business men and statesmen TO
travel exclusively by automobile. II is
pointed out. The statement is made
that so per cent of all the statesmen Tor
one large tobacco company now make
their rounds entirely by automobile.
In support of the theory that cheaper
fares would give the railroads more pas
,.;, hal, Ind ha rrn
posal for the interchangeable mileage
book call attention to testimony present
ed to the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion. This is brought out in statements
issued by the commercial travellers
council. which reads:
AT recent hearing before, the Inter-
state Commerce Commission a distin-
gulshed authority on railroad manage
ment, Frederick w. Putnam, of the Min
nesota Railroad Commission. stated that
the high passenger rates Have lost to
the railroads % per cent. of the passen-
ger business that they had in 1920 and
also the good will of the public. 1t Is
the relationship of the railroad users
through the ticket windows and on the
passenger trains that form public opin-
ion and not through the freight depart
nicnt.
"One of the ablest railroad executives,
a TcSlQCll OnCeTWOCu the Eric, dpDdr-
emily feeling the public pulse. recently
championed fiat 2-cent a mile passen-
ger fare for all the railroads. but his
appeal was unsuccessful. The railroads
are spending large sums in propaganda
but are not succeeding in changing pub
lie opinion in their favor.
THE Interstate Commerce Commission
reports that passenger traffic on steam
railroads in 1921 was 20 per cent. less
than in the preceding year. They report
the passenger revenue for 1921 as
$1,153.75 ,0o2, a decrease of s133,671.-
Al, despite higher fares Passenger
miles last year they report numbered
1882, ,6S9.700 a decrease from the pre-
ceding year of 9.50S. .935, ,000
'"rhe combined earnings cf these rail
! Dads for January. amounted to s29.604,-
0G0. which the commission states Is at
rate of $50 per cent as against 34 per
c. mt. shown for December, and they also
state that "a railroads failed to earn
their operating expenses during this
month
These figures speak for themselves
most eloduently, and every week contin-
ues to show decrease in passenger,
in freight and in Pullman traffic. 1t is
the old story OF killing the goose that
lays the golden egg. and unless some
measure of relief is found there is
nothing ahead but disaster, not only for
the railroads but for the commercial
existence of our country