Arizona republican., 1922-06-18
PASSENGER RATE IN
ARIZONA SHOWN To
BE HIGHLY UNFAIR
Many Testify Against Pres
ent Rate At Hearing
Here Yesterday Before
Examiner For [. c.. c..

That the higher base rate of as
cents a mile applying to intrastate
passenger traffic in Arizona, Nevada
and New Mexico, S compared to the
base rate of 3.6 cents a mile which
applies to all other states in the
country without exception, is dis
criminatory, harmful and prejudicial
to the best interests of these states
and to their future development, was
the opinion of the witnesses who tes-
titled yesterday at the hearing of the
application of the railway commits
sions of these states to the interstate
commerce commission asking for
reduction of the present base rate.
The hearing was held in the Hotel
Adams before Examiner Henry G.
Keene of the interstate commerce
commission and will be continued on
Monday morning at 8 o'clock. This
hearing is the second of the three
scheduled to be held on the matter.
The first was held in Carson City,
New, June 9, and the last will be held
in Santa Fe, n. NJ, June II.
No r. r. Testimony
Although all of the railroad COM
panies operating in these states We're
represented at the hearing by their
attorneys, and traffic and operating
officials, they did not offer any tes-
timony. The Arizona corporation
commission was represented by Com
missioners Amos A. Belts and Loren
A: Vaughn, and the testimony Of
fered yesterday concerned mainly
Arizona
The most important witness of the
day to be examined was F. A. Jones,
former member of the Arizona cor
poration commission, and who for
more than 20 years was actively
connected with various western rail-
roads in various capacities. While
serving as general freight and pas
senger traffic manager for the Santa
Fe, Prescott and Phoenix railroad,
now a branch of the Santa Fe run
ming from Ashfork to Phoenix, Mr..
Jones said, he had obtained a reduc-
tion of fares on the road from cents
to cents a mile, resulting in an
increase in the passenger traffic
which necessitated the placing in
operation of two trains daily be-
tween these points instead of one
daily train before the reduction.
Mr.. Jones also declared he had
placed in effect a reduced round trip
rate between Phoenix and Prescott
and Iron Springs during certain sea-
sons of the year, and this rate caused
the trains to be filled with passengers
to and from these points. The road,
he asserted, made more money oper
ating under the reduced rates than it
did with the base rate of 5 cents a
mile. Mr.. Jones believed the present
base rate of 4.S cents mile was ex-
orbitant and declared a rate of 3.6
cents a mile would increase the vol
% T,~r,f IN th% e<to
involved as well as increase the earn
states. The high passenger rates,
Mr.. Jones said, caused the auto pas
senger stage lines to grow rapidly in
these states.
Governor to Be Called
The first witness called was Henry
Behoteguy, secretary to Governor
Campbell, and testifying for the gov
ernor. An attempt was made by Mr..
Belts to introduce statement pre-
pared by the governor, but the rail-
road attorneys objected to Mr.. Be
hoteguy reading the statement, and
were sustained by Examiner keene.
Governor Campbell will give his tes-
timony Monday morning, Mr.. Belts
said.
w. s. Norviel, state water COM
outlined the various irri-
cation projects within the state at
present, some of which recently have
been completed, including the st.
Johns project of $1,000 acres and the
Gillespie project Of 10000 acres.
These projects, Mr.. Norviel declared,
need settlers and farmers to bring
their acreage into production, and he
was of the opinion that a reduction
of the base fare rates in Arizona
would have the effect of bringing
homeseekers to the state.
j. S. Griffin, local real estate
agent, told of the difficulties en-
countered by Arizona realtors in in
homeseekers in Arizona