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Show THAT IHll.l.tK ItUi: TO UIICMIO. A few days since mention was mide of a proposition by n Now York papir for tli railroads to establish dollar rates over their roads during tho World's Fair. At that time we endeavored to show how extremely Improbable It was that Hie dllierentcomviules or any one of them would do anything of the kind thai audi corporations wero not eleemosyuury Institutions and that whllo they might aud of course would reduce their rates considerably, It would only bo so far as would enable them to come out ahead by reason of tho greatly Increased patronage. We thought we utiderttoo I thu aubjeot well enough by observation and expertenoa to bo Justified 111 sjieaklngln that way, and think so yet. The metropolitan luminary Swken of, howover, does not; It Keeps up the discussion nnd In such n uoj as to cause one to bellevu that It really expects to accomplish the purpose pur-pose advocated. This Is from a recent Issue: When the .Vnif emit fifrni deolared that a ono'dollnr faro to Chicago, under conditions which It spoeltlod was not only ponlulo, but profitable, It did nut bjso the aiatomcnt on tho haxsrd of dubious estimate, or lonjoeturo, Aeeu-rnto Aeeu-rnto results had Ixhui readied by mtlelsl lu estimation, and the torltftiul ripurts were a part of publlo reunrds. In 1--TJ the llourd ef Itsllrond CnminlHslonem for llinhtilleof Masssehusutla reported ttist although tho rallrosls wore wash fully conducted tho total cost nt tarrying a IttMoucor loo iiillos was but eight cents. Abroad, (itllctal Investigations lu ling, land, t'rinco and lletgiuni liavo tinier-mined tinier-mined the total tost of trnnsortatloit for tho loiluo distance I but lltoeciils. 'ink-luir 'ink-luir the latter" figures as a basis, tho coot fur ir0) miles, tho distance KpoclihHt bi llio Matt ami JUpreu, Mould to but ?r cents, leaving u margin of & por vein, pruilu Tho flM and Kxprtu then goes on to show that thu plan proposed It uot In any sumu n flnauola! luipusilblllty; that II it could onru bu proved that the railroads csuld afford to pay for the new additional cars required for the trains for woiklngmsn the other ftalurcsof the plan would necessarily follow, tint tho railways oould not only ntlbrdto piy for tho extru cars but would make money out of tho tr.nn lotion. lo-tion. Willi sixty-two poisons In each oar, nhloh would Just fill tlioii.lt would take 013 earn oil each lino to transport one nillllou people, during the twenty-six weeks III which the exhibition will bo open. I'.sch oir would cost about $UW,or 1,601,(1 IJ altogether. al-together. I At one dollar per capita nothing but n deficit Is observable. In tho sohems so far, but l.ditor Bhepard la as ftr-suelnt us lie is uuHto aud tnoraU when he njggests a pi in for the a-nellora-tlon of the condition of his fellow man as well as enabling the railway companies to adopt the togoin Injunction Injunc-tion to "put money in thy purse," it may be taken for granted that tuo subject sub-ject lint rctelveJ consideration from top to bottom, with all Its dip., spun, angles, elnuoslllis out tracings, awl from start to finish. He thus goe on to show that "the average life of a car Is leu years. At thoackuowledged pro-lit pro-lit on the mere cost of running these tmllie, exempted from all share of cast of the nllroal aud Its general expenses, ex-penses, tho railroad company would get back nt least $.'tX),l)1ii In tho first six months, thus reducing tho outlay for tho additional ens to 11,000,010. I n four yoirs this outiru outlay would be returned to the company, llelico there remain six years In which the company may use the samo cart without with-out cost for their manufacture,. Thus It will bring as much money to the profit of the railroads themselves as lu good to the dlroct beneficiaries of our plan. Nor aro the dotal! of the proposed dollar frlp noflectod or lost sight of, III another artlchi the AUlf and JJxprtti has a loaded editorial headed "Meals on tho Way," In hlch the wide-awake Paberwiolder procoode to show that enterprising contractors nro already on thu lookout to provide "square meals" for "our working-men's working-men's trains" to Chicago meaning, of course, for the worklngmeuonthe trains, not literally as It reads. These necessary nppuiidages to a successful and enjoyable visit to the Laku city aru to bo on a scsle correspondingly cheap, the suggestion bslug that they be brought down to an nrmy bssls, say twenty-five to thirty-flvo cents n dny per capita, and, even nt this sur-I sur-I rlslngly low figure, our coiemporary give forth a note of Instruction that competition for supplying the commissariat commis-sariat will bo lively showing hat purveyors as well at railroads rail-roads can be generous If they want ti. "Themeals would be served, "ssys the M tlitdj:., "not lii tho cities but outside them; and where temporary structures might be conveniently erected. The trains would stop three times a day at such places, but would maku no other ttor except for coal and water, lle-tncen lle-tncen New fork and Albany there would bo no stop. 1'assengcrt from, say Hudson, would mett the train ut Albany. This saving In time and cut lay to the special train and tho galu In local farts to tho railways would bo no Inconsiderable Hems, The time of the trains thus being fostertd, these specials would not at all interfero with the regular trains." It theu goes on to show that whllo the passengers were at their meals n corpsofatteudanls(sthowmuc.liadat?) would give thu cart a thorough cleaning, clean-ing, thut Insuring sanitation which would bu fully appreciated. Not a doubt of It; the whole projtct would Lu thoroughly appreciated and itt Inventor In-ventor receive the benlions of a nillllou grateful people If It could only be carried out. We repeat, when a rail road from New York to Chicago, a tllstauce of nearly a thousand miles, hauls passenger day alter day for several months over tho entire dlslunco forono dollar, It will bo tlmo to jlace our houses lu order sure enough. Meantime, speaking seriously, thu Idea doe cndlt to Col. Hhepard's heart even II It dot not reflect so favorably upon hit Judgmeut. |
