The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-27
MORE TRAVEL WILL
RESULT FROM LESS
FARES, IS CLAIM
Engineer Cites Figures To
Show Alabama Is Paying
More Than Other States
STATE CAPITAL BUREAU !
THE AGE-HERAI.D I
Montgomery, Ala. May go

action of the interstate commerce
commission that the public service
commission did not discriminate
against interstate commerce last year
when it directe. the railroads operat-
ing in Alabama to establish an intra-
state passenger fare of cents in lieu
of a fare of 3.6 cents a mile. Conf ad
H. Ohme. engineer of the commission,
made an inspection of IS passenger
trains in Alabama and found that
52.21 per cent of the capacity of the
3 trains was not being used.
This information was submitted TO
Examiner Cassidy of the interstate
commerce commission, who came TO
Montgomery and received testimony
of the railroads in opposition to the
order of the commission.
The commission insisted that the
railroads are suffering losses because
the travelling public is not able to
meet the high fares and commended
that high fares account for the haul
age of 1921 per cent of the equip
ment without a return on the invest
ment. It commended that reduction
of the passenger fare to 3 cents VIII
mean an impetus to travel and that
Ger long the railroads will be haul
ing passengers to their full capacity
Two-thirds unoccmpied.
Engineer Ohmes Investigations
continued for several weeks, accord
ing to statements of the commlssloA.
He inspected IS trains and o1s
coaches, according to his minute rec
ord. He found that the total seating
capacity in the % trains wos 4,i'o
and that 922S seats were unoccupied'
leaving 72o1 per cent of the capacity
of the % trains unusued
The railroads operating the trains
inspected by Mr.. Ohme were LOUIS
VILE and Nashville. Mobile and ONO
Atlantic Coast Line, Central of GeoF-
sia, Western of Alabama; Atlanta,
Birmingham and Atlantic. Seaboaro
Air Line, Southern, st. Louis and san
Francisco and Illinois Central:
Mr.. Ohme found that the total intra-
state passengers (persons travelling
between points in Alabama) on the
trains which he inspected were $50,
and that 75S of these passengers were
travelling from necessity and l33
travelling for pleasure. He furtncr
found that OF the total number or va
cant seats in the trains 2,09i were SCI
apart for white people and 1,11 Tor
negroes, a total of S,22S. or the M
trastate passengers on the train l'o
were travelling on passes, tnerelore.
only 744 of the intrastate passengers
were fare-paying ones.
O o o
The introduction of the chart pre-
nared nv Engineer Ohme was intend
ed by the public service commission
to show to the interstate comfne,ce
commission that the railroads IN Aid
hanna are carrying much unoccupleu
aouinment and that a reduction IN
nseeenrer rates would mean great
Increase in business.
j. H. Alldredge, rate expert OIL my
public service commission also tooh
the witness stand as represehtal,Ve
~ the commission. Mr.. AlldreuSe
oortended that the reduction of the
Messenger fares in Alabama would not
he a discrimination against interstate
commerce such as the raliroaus
legged when they requested the ie
eraI commission to make an lhVesl-
oation into the situation in Alabama
Mr. AlIdredge pointed out that the
r.ilroads themselves violate the open
messenger rates when they grant eN-
cursion rates at various seasons OF
the wear. tons nave
been the rule rather than the eN
rention in case of passenger fares,
said MIR Alldredge. THE puollc is
used TO them. For years it has been
customary for the railroads to estap-
fish reduced fares on various occd
sions and at various times. 1he III
tarState commerce COuiAhis1iSh
ognizes that practice as being law
full.
Many Excursion Rates.
ut frequently happens that pas
sanger vii be travelling on train
At The regular or standard fare when
mis- neighbor sitting on the same seat
and travelling between the same
points will be using an excursion
ticket at a much lower fare.
" mention these things to snow
and do show it very clearly that dis
examination in passenger fares is not
an uncommon thing at all. The In
terstate commerce commission ltsell
has recently ordered the carriers 70
sell interchangeable mileage coupon
than the standard fare This is itself
a sort of discrimination, but / do
not contend for a moment that 1t is
improper or unlawful.
Mr.. Alldredge also pointed out that
in the thickly populated centers com,
muter fares become the standard
fares because of the great use of the
fares, while in Alabama few COM
muter fares are used and the stan
dard fare Is the one which applies
to all the public.
CLAIM, Unfortunate.
Mr. Alldredge insisted that 1t is
not fair to the travelling public to ex-
act from them high fare for neces-
sary travel while those W. seek
pleasures are permitted to travel on
unusually low rates.
During his testimony the rate ex-
pert of the commission offered an
exhibit showing that the average pas
senger fare in the nation is 3.O2S
cents a mile compared with 3.6 cents
a mile in Alabama. ~. Alldredge ex-
planned that this figure was reached
by making standard the fare in each
state which was the most generally
used. He contended that this show
ing is sufficient to prove that the
rate of SO cents now being charged
for travel in Alabama is greater than
the average in the nation and that,
instead of a discrimination being
practiced against other states and
interstate commerce by the enforce
ment of the order of the commits
sion for a rate of 8 cents a mile, the
interstate commerce commission
would be discriminating against Ala