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Show H FOR LOWER STREET CAR FARES. B Bait Lake Argus. HHf In amending the traction company's H frauchlso tho city council should keep Hfl In mind tho fact that street car travel ! ldcrcaso nt a greater ratio than pop- Bflfl ulatlon. This would cnablo tho com- Bflfl pany to glvo butter scrvlco nt lower cost, nnd tho peoplo aro entitled to H tho benefit. HHl Ordinarily councils attempt to pro- H vldo for this by direct or Indirect tax- HJ ntlon In tho form of increased license HHl1 qr a larger percentage of the gross HHfl rocclpts. Tliero Is a mcasuro of HHl equity In tills, but n better way would HHl bo to provldo a decreasing sralo of HHl charges, beginning with n nickel rato, or six farcB for n quartor, for a stated period, or until gross receipts reach HBh a prearranged ratio of actual cost and maintenance thon tho rato should bo HBb reduced to four cents, or eight for n HHl quarter, nnd bo contlnuo until tho faro flflfl could nnd would bo lowered to two- nnd-a-half, or oven two cents. HHl At present five, cents for n long rldo HJ Is fairly reasonblc, but Is too much HHl for ft few squares, whereas n two or HH ' thrco-cont faro would cnuco n largely HH Increased uso of tho cars for short BHl rid on. As to repairing tho streots, Bfla sprinkling, etc., theso nro secondary HHJ matters to good scrvlco nt n low cost, nnd could bo provided for by general HHa taxation, tho samo as other public no- cossltlos, nnd thus fall upon property In gcnornl, whllo on tho other hand HHj tho Individual feels tho street car tax HH ovory tlmo ho pays his faro. HBf Wo bopo It Is not ,too lato yet for BHl tho city council to Incorporate In tho Hfll proposed revised fmnchlso n provision for a' gradual reduction of car faro. Even now tho company should bo re- L quired to sell Its tickets bIx for a quartor, and that through tho conduc- J; tors. To many working girls nnd flfl boys ns wel as men of family, two dol- Hj lars nro not easily picked up to profit HJ by tho present C0-tlckct rato. |