RAILWAY FARES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 670, 22 November 1909, Page 9

RAILWAY FARES.

.Sif.-rl; cannot ftgree ; ,with, ;''Traveller" , that ihk increase-'.'6! 1 lpng-distanco:railwnyifares is not warranted^'lf the/l'rimo Minister is really hard up for suggestions-as to how the' royenuo 'should Jio;inercasod,,let;hira'raistJ "■ nil pnsseiiger fares. "Why: they viToro • reduced tq ; tho present lcvol.it: is-hard to : explain—it: ■ has ■ always Bcomod to me-tliat.coricessioiis: have been madfl from time to time without sufficient reason, nnd; indeed without ■beiiiß asked for by any-con-'; siderablo';section of; tho public... Was this .to gain popularity or "nierely the outcome ■ of.' n ] polioy of, bombast , and puff? ;■■'■■ ■ V'.i. \ ; ,'rho:"enoapost if arts: in HiO; world,", forsooth!. ■And ' as a oonternolso . the most extravnsant; form of o.onstniction, and. tho. highest' '■' porcontago' of expenditure to revenue.",:.How,Sunder such conditions, .the railways can'/bo. kept' ingood; onler and-bo made to. pay is a : pnzrie. It is hot as though the passenger Eorrice.wcro; effoctiver-the carrying capacity is "continually; .overtaxed. and tho accommodation,' even for fho presen't low farce, is in many cases beyond-cx-;pression,,bad..';Slf.. Foster Fraser bad a few: say, and ho, Bawl.tho best of. the. eerr vice; vile' was, perhaps,, unreasonable' in ' some- ■ toniplaiuts, and,l cannot remember that ho had ever a-.Word to the chciipness of the fnrcs—siirely an oversight in'nn observant man. -If: so -.much : can-be saved-by tho present, pro-i posals,;:how:mUoh-qould:be;;saV«d :by\v l an all- , round ■ increase ';of,:6ay', ; '20 'per ;■ cont.' .on .both :first >ntl .seconu-claai , , .fares.'dThiß -would: JeaVe;

a margin for an improved service, and would in tho.end be appreciated by tho . travelling public.' ? ■■■'.': ' ' ;''.;'■"'■'■' :; '. '•. ' ■■'.''. '■ ;'''■■ . : Looking at the question as-one of revenue alone,-why.should not the'.usqrs of the railway be andp. to pay a fair return; instead of putting the deficiency on to the general taxpayer? It is.' a ;matter for. consideration' whether too; easy, means of transit :is not having a rdemoral-. ising .effect on the country. One cannot help being struck by. the: largo number of peopld travelling every' day, apparently on pleasure bent,' when their'time .would bo better employed in stopping at homo and attending steadily to business. Concessions could of courses easily be -mndo to those travelling habitually on busi:ness, and to suburban passongcrst and, if necessary, to; excursion'trips at certain seasons of the year. V . ■.. ■'.• ; .-. ■ .'■■■ ...,-.• '-"■ i; It does-not do. to draw invidious distinctions hv undemocratic country, but to. put the matter pna financial basis alone, when one sees seats in tho same'first-class carriage occupied respectively by a Chinaman, a Maori, and a recentlydischarged ■' prisoner, it surely 'shows either , that the second-class accommodation is-atroci-,oris or that the difference in faros is too small, or. olso that the classification of. traffic is an .absurdity. It is. only when one comes to compare the .'.'retnrns from passenger fares with those for: freight, that''oho realises-how 'much is. being thrown, away, by too low; a scale ol charges. And to what end?—l am, etc./ .'■' ■■... ■■;.;. ■;■;.. ; :: another traveller.