Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-06-09
Few Tourist Dollars
Will Be Spent in
Europe This Year
Reduction Of RoiIroud
Fares Is Expected to
Boost u. S. TruveI

NEW 4OIh, June Ill Is eA-
pected that the reduced, zone-based
passenger fare rates on the Eastern
railroads will 60 into effect at the
end of this month. Consequently,
some of their benefits to the travel
ing public, which plans its vacation
trips for early in the summer, will
be lost. That they will stimulate
other travel, owing to the low costs
permitted at the round-trip rate of
ITO cents a mile and because this
is the year that Americans are out
to see the Americas, is the opinion
of all general passenger agents and
heads of the leading tourist
agencies.
The tense political conditions in
Europe have shattered the annual
spring and summer transatlantic
travel. The amount of money that
Americans will spend abroad in the
next three months will be the small
est since the war days. This will
have its effect on the foreign eX-
changes, for both Italy and Ger
many depend on the American dol
lars spent within their borders to
produce required dollar exchange.
France is not quite so badly of as
she was last summer. but she, too.
as we'll as Switzerland, will miss the
substantial amount that the vlsl-
tors from the States leave with their
hotel and shop keepers and various
transportation companies.
Sum Will Be Halved.
In years of prosperity, the total
expenditures of Americans in Eu-
rope have reached the sum of $780,
100000. It is doubtful if they will
be half that amount in 1889. Dur
ing May. and so far this month,
sailings from New York for English
and continental ports have been less
frequent than normal with some
important liners Withdrawn for
cruises to Bermuda, the West In
dies and South and Central America,
and all because bookings have been
SO poor.
On the other hand, the demand
for space on trains and on ships
that take the tourist into every part
of the United States and over the
waters that battle its shores are at
a premium. The fairs on both sides
of the continent are magnets for
thousands. The low fares estab-
hshed jointly by Easter nand West
ern lines and put into effect some
months ago will soon be supple
mented by those agreed to by the
executives of the 81 systems serv-
ing the Northeastern section of the
United States in order to revive pas
senger traffic lost to the buses and to
the private automobiles.
Taking into account the low coach
rate, the quality of the equipment
offered the traveller at this rate and
the swiftness with which the dis
lance between far-separated ter
minals is accomplished, it may be
said that nowhere in the world to-
day is so much given for so little
money. Not even the rates based
on tourist marks or Ira, publcized
by the German and Italian govern
ment lines to attract American pa
tronage to their railroads, give COM
parable advantages when the ele-
ments of comfort, safety and speed
are considered.
Parks Are Attractions.
The big long distance travel
movements this summer, aside from
those to the New York and San
Francisco fairs, will be to the ma
tional parks of the West, on the
Pacific Coast and in the Southern
mountains, as we'll as those in Can
ada. also to Alaska and to Bermuda.
Although the New Haven Railroad
has refused to join with its COM
petitors in reducing fares. it is ex-
pected that the travel to New Eng
land shore and mountain resorts will
equal that of a year ago.
There will be greater plane ca
pacity than ever before for those
who prefer to travel by air. 1t will
be interesting to observe how far
the reduced coach and Pullman
rates, on New York Chicago bust
ness, for instance, affect this bust
ness, as the airline companies have
shown no disposition to meet the
cuts of their competitors. On the
other hand, the bus lines are ex-
pected to make an equalizlng reduc-
ton in order to preserve their grow
ing patronage.
Rail Executives View.
Is a feeling that the steam carriers
are facing competitive conditions in
passenger transportation that not
even radical fare reductions, such
as have been in effect for several
years in the West and South and are
about to be introduced into the East,
will remove or modify. In the boom
years from 1926 to 1929 inclusive,
they lost 10 per cent in the number
of passengers carried and suffered
about a so per cent reduction from
1925 to 1888, with comparatively lit
tie recovery since that year. The
only sensible policy for them to
adopt would be the one which they
have long refused to consider,
namely. to permit single roads to
carry the through passenger bust
ness on the routes from New York
= to Washington. from New York to
Buffalo, Chicago to Kansas City,
Chicago to Omaha, Chicago to ST.
Paul and double up on the traffic
from st. Paul to Portland. There
are other terminals of less impor-
lance where co-ordinated service
would save money for the roads and
take nothing essential from the
travelling public.