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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1918)
15 r ix-Cemt Fare. I o 1 Effect In Many CommLta THE MORXIXG OREGOXIAX, TUESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1918. LARGE CITIES AFFECTED "When, on October 1, last, the Connecticut Company raised its fare from 5 to 6 ceftts, it be came effective in every city and town in the state, except two, and included all four of the largest citiesnamely: New Haven, with a population of 144,505 (1914) Bridgeport, with a population of 115,2S9 (1914) , Hartford, with a population of 107.03S (1914) Waterbury, with a population of 82,517 (1914) Here, then, are four large communities, with a combined population of approximately 450,000 (three years ago), all served by the same company, which are now operating un der a straight 6-cent fare. The increase' affects more than SO other smaller cities and towns ii Connecticut and a total of 692 miles of electric railway lines. ARE GIVING IT A FAIR TRIAL Ever since last July, the Bay State Street Railway Com pany, of Boston, Mass., has been operating on a 6-cent fare basis over its entire-system. Permission to do this was granted on July 3 by the Public Service Commission of Massa chusetts, and this company is now charging a 6-cent fare in 86 different communities in Massachusetts, 4 in- Rhode Island and 2 in New Hamp shire. Among the larger cities in Massachusetts affected by the increase are the following: . Fall River, with a population of 124,791 (1915) New Bedford, with a popula tion of 109,568 (1915) Lowell, with a population of 107,978 (1915) Lynn, with a population of 93, 803 (1915) Lawrence, with a population of 90,259 (1915) Why a Six-Cent Fare The principal causes for asking for an increase in fare are that in the last six months the price of labor, influenced by the higher cost of living and reduction in hours, has increased more than 50 per cent and the prices of materials more than 100 per cent. That for more than five years the street rail way has been unable to earn sufficient to pay the cost of operating, taxes and fixed charges; and the traffic handled is still less than was cared for five years ago: Five-Cent Fare Is Now Insufficient In his recent address to the American Electric Railway Asso ciation, President L. S. Storrs declared that increased revenues .were an absolute necessity to the continuance of the electric street railway industry. ,The association of which he was the president until a few weeks ago represents'companies having an investment aggregating more than $5,000,000,000. "We have gone as far as economy of operation and improve ment of methods can take us," said President Storrs. "We must now seek relief from those within whose power it is to grant relief. It is our duty to lay our cases before the repre sentatives of the public authorized to limit these conditions, before the Public Service Commissions, municipal officers or Legisla tures and before the public to whose will these special representa tives are responsible and to demand of both that we be given a living wage. In this way we will be doing our duty to the owners of property whose trustees we are and at the same time placing the responsibility for such conditions as may arise to the detri ment of both public and owner where it rightfully belongs." READING, PA., HAS 6-CENT FARE On November 6th last, the Reading Transit & Light Com pany, of Reading, Pa., in creased its fare to 6 cents in both Reading and the various! smaller communities served. Reading had a population of 103,361 in 1914. WHEELING, W. VA., HAS IT, TOO i ' . The .West Virginia Traction '& Electric Company, of Wheel ing, W. Va., raised its local fares from 5 to 6 cents on De cember 1. i Wheeling had a population of 42,817 in 1914. AND IN LEXINGTON, KY, On November 20, 1917, the Kentucky Traction & Terminal Railway Company, operating in Lexington, Ky., raised its local fares from 5 to 6 cents. - Lexington, Ky., had a popu Jation of 38,819 in 1914. P IT'S 7 CENTS HERE More than a year ago, in October, 1916, the Manchester & Nashua Street Railway Company, operating in and be tween the cities of Manchester and Nashua, N. H., raised its local fares from 5 to 7 cents. Manchester had a population of 75,635 in 1914, and Nashua 26,901 in the same year. HAVERHILL, A SIX-CENT CITY Haverhill, Mass., a city of 50,000 population, has been on a 6-cent fare basis since Octo ber, 1916. . v j ONE -CENT INCREASE CLEVELAND In Cleveland, 0., the straight cash fares have been increased from 3 to 4 cents or an increase of 25 per cent. Relief Needed Everywhere Some protest has been raised against the appeal of this Company for immediate relief in the way of increased revenues, on the ground that no other city of its size in the United States is now on a 6-cent fare basis. While that objection is literally true, at the same time a very, large number of the electric railway companies operating in the big metropolitan centers of the country are praying for relief, either in the form of an advance in fares, a charge for transfers, establish ment ?f zone fare systems, or abolishment of reduced-rate tickets and relief from unjust public charges, and in many cases the various companies are praying for several of the above forms of revenue building. Among the most important cities where such requests for additional revenues are now pending the following may be mentioned: Boston Elevated System, Boston, Mass., wants a basic 6-cent fare. Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, New York, has applied for permission to charge 2 cents for transfers. United Railways & Electric Company, Baltimore, Md., has applied for a 6-cent fare. Pittsburg Railways Company, Pittsburg, Pa., has asked permis sion to go 'on a 6-cent fare basis, basing its application pri marily upon, an increase of 2c per hour recently granted its employes. , Springfield Street Railway Company, Springfield, Mass., has applied for permission to charge a straight 6-cent fare on a zone basis which would bring some of the present 5-cent car rides up to 8 cents. ' . The Rhode Island Company, operating all streetcar lines in the State of Rhode Island, including the important cities of Provi dence and Newport, has applied for a 6-cent fare on all its lines. The United Railways of Detroit, Mich., have announced that it will probably be necessary in the near future to abolish the sale of its special 7-f or-a-quarter tickets and go to a straight 5-cent fare. Detroit has a population of 16,346 per square mile, while Portland has only 3800. The street railway systems of Milwaukee, Wis.; Kansas City, Mo; Trenton, N. J.; Oakland, Cal; Salt. Lake City, Utah; Buffalo and Rochester, N. Y., are only a few of the other important companies that are facing financial disaster unless their appli cations for increased revenues are granted. Portland Railway, ! gli Power Co,