Show I I INCREASE UNDER CENT TWO GENT LA Passenger Earnings of Lines in Michigan Show No Failing Fall Fail Falling Off ing I DESPITE FINANCIAL SCARE i State Railroad Commission Proves Blue Ruin Howl Has No Sound Basis Lansing Mich Feb Feh Carrying Carrying passengers at two cents a mile mIJe did lil not decrease the passenger earnings of Michigan l railroads the fir first t three months of or operation under the newlan new law lan This Is shown hown by tho the report of the state railway commission coverIng coverInG cover- cover Ing log th the last three months of or 1907 in comparison with the same v. v period of 1906 1900 The report says ays During most of oC this time the business business busi bus nc ness s to the railroads was very serl son reduced b by the financial scare and for this reason In comparing th the earnings s of 1907 with those of 1906 we are comparing earnings of or the two- two cent tent law under tho the times limes of considerable considerable consider consider- able ablo financial depression with th earnings s under tho old law In abnormally abnormally ab ab- ab- ab normally prosperous times It Is also alsoto to be he remembered that the tho test tet has not been entirely fair Calr because many of oC f the roads road have cut out excursions lons which in previous years year they have been heen eager cager to conduct and have been supposed supposed supposed sup sup- posed to do at a profit profi Increase O I-O o In iii Aggregate r ate In tho ho tabulation we have considered considered considered consid consid- ered the Ann Arbor Cincinnati North North- orth- orth em ern Big Four Grand Rapids and Indiana In Indiana In- In diana Grand Trunk Lake Lale Shore and Michigan Southern Michigan Central Pore Pero Marquette arquette and the Wabash Considering Considering Considering Con Con- the these e roads all together wo we find that their aggregate passenger r earnings s for the months named ii in i 1907 exceed the f earnings for the tho samo sarno months In 1906 b by 6 0 I. a n. vc very ry small mall portion of one lC per Ier cent Increase At the same time their freight earnings earnings earn earn- fn ings show a t gain of or ora ora a again gain ain of two and tenths six p per r cent |