, 1935-01-30
The World
At Glance
BY LESLIE EICHEL
Central Press Staff Writer)

New York, an. 30.-Railroad pass
enger fares are TO drop In the east
and the eastern part OF the middle
west. last "holdup" regions.
The two largest railroads are said
TO have agreed. They are the Penn
~sylvania and the New York Cen
trail.
The Baltimore a. Ohio already had
expressed its desire to accede. CIT
had met with success In reducing
fares on the borderline Of the south,
where roads generally have reduce
ed.
The New York. New Haven a.
Hartford CwhcSe stock Is largely con-
trolled by the Pennsylvania remains
a holdout. The New Haven Is the
only standard railroad I'm America
whose passenger earnings mean more
than freight earnings.
An increase in the passenger earn
ings OF other roads would lift many
Of them "over the top That Is es-
pecially true OF the New York Cen
tral. whose local trains have been
bucking bus traffic none too success
fully.
The Baltimore a. Ohio. with its
station across the Hudson river from
New York, set q new style several
years ago which has been turning a
handicap into an asset. Ii has been
picking up passengers by bus In var
ious parts or New York City. Now the
staff Of Joseph B. Eastman, federal
COORDINATION OF railroads. believes
other railroads should adopt such
conveniences-even when their ter
minal IS in the heart OF a city.
But the same men who recon-
nended that also asserted the %. AZ
o., and the Pennsylvania were fool
ish to duplicate passenger services
between New York and washington.
The roads made a profit last year
of $2O0O,000 on such services. But
the investigators estimate that with
a combined service the profit could
have been $6.O00,OOO
No private corporation. however.
desires to surrender any part OF It's
business TO a competitor.
Some Suggestions
Some OF the suggestions made by
the staff OF Railroad Co~-ordirator
Eastman for "enticing" new pass
enger business for railroads Is inter-
esting.
Read these suggestions:
Establishment Of a basic rate OF
] IL cents a mile for trips or less
than 100 miles: a 2-cent rate for in
tercarrier limited service: a 3-cent
rate for reserved service, including
berth; a scent rate, including room
and incidentalS, for de luxe service.
and l-2 cent a mile for special ex-
curSionS.
Consolidation OF duplicate train
services and staggering of parallel
train services.
Acquisition BY the railroads or the
Pullman companyis service opera
tons.
Consolidation Of handling OF bag
gage express and merchandise traf-
Tic in a distinctive class Of service,
utilizing passenger or freight trains.
Substitution Of buses for railroad
local and limited services, and air
way transport for de luxe service.
wherever travel volume Is insuffi-
Gent to warrant rail operations.
Unifications and modernization OF
terminal facilities and stations; re-
placement OF present equipment. de-
scribed as obsolete" By light weight
cars.
Nesting In the Association OF
American Railroads full responsible
ity for creating q single. nation
wide passenger service" by unity
ing facilities and coordlnating rail
facilities with those OF the carriers.
OF the 10 largest banks in the
United States. five are In New York.
two are In Chicago. one Is In San
Francisco and one Is In Boston.
OF the next 10. six are in New
York. r Is in Los Angeles. one ~
IN PHILADELPHIA. one Is IN Detroit
and one is in Cleveland.
That Is according 10 the latest
statements. recently issued. This
gives a fair INDIGESTION OF the money
centers OF the United States-except
that Pittsburgh should be added.
with two banks among the next
five