The Monmouth inquirer., 1923-10-11
COURT MODIFIES
P. S. FARE ORDER
Judge Rellstab Of the Federal
Court Allows Change to Con-
form With New Rates.
RURAL SCHOOLS UP-To-DATE
Country School Child Has City Advan-
tages-Modern, Centralized Building
Takes Place Of Old one-Room
Shack, DeerfieId School Shows.

Trenton.-Federal Judge Rellstab
modified a Federal Court order of
October 20, 1921, which granted the
Public Service Company an eight-cent
fare. The modification specifies that
the company may charge a fve-cent
rate within the city limits in larger
cities of the state and a 10-cent fare,
without transfers, for rides beyond the
limits OF the cities.
This action by Judge Rellstab raj
at the suggestion of counsel for the
Public Service Company and in &C
4cordance with the company's accept
ance OF the proposal of the Public
Utility Commission embracing the new
rates. The new schedule will be given
a four months trial.
At the hearing before Judge RelI-
stab here on the recommendation of
Special Master Thomas G. Haight that
the Public Service Railway be granted
an eight-cent fare, L.. Edward Herr
mann, counsel for the Public Utilities
Commission, charged that former
State Senator Edmund w. Wakelee.
n of the counsel for the railway COM
pany, had tried to prejudice the court.
Mr.. Hermann called Judge R~ellstab's
attention to the remark of Mr.. Wake
lee to the effect that the Public Utili-
ties Commission, in refusing to grant
the railway a higher rate Of fare, was
depriving it of revenue 1t was entitled
to-
DO you suppose I would be infiu-
enced by such a remark" asked Judge
Rellstab of Mr.. Hermann.
"Just the same" replied Mr.. Herr
mann, "the remark was made in an
attempt to prejudice you"
Fight Still On
While President McCarter of the
Public Service Railway Company was
withdrawing in Newark the second
application he had presented to the
Public Utility Commissioners for a
trolley fare of ten cents counsel for
the company the commission and for
Jersey City and Newark continued ar
guments before U. S. District Court
Judge Rellstab on the company's first
application for the dime rate.
Judge Rellstab has indicated that
the court will not attempt to fix an
exact valuation on the company's
property, considering that element
only in SO far as it may be necessary
to determine whether the Z cent base
rate fixed by the Public Utility Com
mission and subsequently enjoined by
the court was ~coniscatory.
III ao,-.4 Lo. oJ.~ automatically H. H..
mated from the controversy much of
the argument relating to the method
followed by Thomas G. Haight as spe-
cial master in fixing a valuation of
$1l0,0 900 900 upon the company's prop
erty.
One of the important developments
during the hearing was a statement
by Edmund w. Wakelee of counsel
for the company in response to a
question of Judge Rellstab. The lat
ter asked whether, in view of jitney
competition, any rate charged by the
company would yield a return of Z
per cent on the Haight valuation. Mr..
Wakelee said the company believed a
10 cent fiat fare would give such re-
turn, estimated at s7,7O0,000. Mr.. Nc
Carter has estimated the return on a
10 cent fare would approximate ST.
300. 900.
In the proceedings in the federal
court. however, lawyers on both sides
have apparently modified views given
expression elsewhere because Of the
peculiarly intricate legal questions
presented in the litigation, narrowed
down by Judge Rellstab to a mere de-
cision as to whether the z cent fare
order was confiscatory.
The company is making every eff
fort to have a decision from the fed
eraI tribunal fixing a valuation on the
company's property as a guide for the
future, while the Public Utilities Com
mission and inter-pleading municipal
tiles are willing to have the Valuation
feature eliminated.
Up-to-Date Rural Schools
For the last decade the swing in
educational circles in south Jersey,
as well as in other parts of the coun-
try. has been towards the consolidat-
ed school, in town or city. Now there
seems to be a tendency to swing back
to the country school, modern in all
respects like the city school, but built
in the country for country pupils.
A striking illustration of the mod
ern country school is found in the re-
Gently dedicated 100000 schoolhouse
in Deerfeld township, Cumberland
county. Other smaller types OF coun-
try schools have also been built dur
ing the rear in other parts of south
Jersey, and one of these, a four room
school at Bunker Hill, Washington
township, Gloucester county, has been
opened and will be formally dedicat-
ed in October.
Leading educators declare that the
"Mttle red s~choolhouse," with all OF
the sentiment attached to it, has gone
for good. and they place the emphasis
ON the good" Farmers nass accept
ed the argument of these educators
4na+ country hovs and girls cannot re-