My answer to this is, first, that according to my scheme there is no “averaging up;” the flat fares are all “averaged down” to the minimum. Secondly, while welcoming the admission that the effect of “averaging down” is to increase the traffic “enormously,” I am sure that Mr. Acworth himself does not mean that the working expenses will increase in anything like the same proportion. He has himself pointed out in an article on railways[16] that the train cost of carrying 200 passengers and 10 passengers is practically the same. Further reasons for this fact are given under the heading of “Working Expenses” in this pamphlet. Thirdly, while admitting that under my scheme a passenger might, by taking three local trains which stop at all stations travel from London to Glasgow for 3d., I can hardly imagine that any but the smallest percentage of travellers would endeavour to save 9d. by taking a journey in which they would spend sixteen hours and have two changes at least, instead of travelling the same distance by one train, in eight hours, for 1s. As to the zone system, the whole advantage of the flat rate or uniform fare is lost by the difficulty of passing from one zone to the other. FOOTNOTES [6] “On Municipal and National Trading” by The Rt. Hon. Lord Avebury. Published by Macmillan & Co., 1907. Price 2/6. [7] “The Case Against Railway Nationalisation” by Edwin A. Pratt. Published by Collins, 1913. Price 1/-. [8] “On Municipal and National Trading,” pp. 56-92. [9] While this pamphlet has been in the Press, there has been a strike of the Leeds Municipal workers, and the threat of a strike in the Post Office. It will be interesting to see whether the considerations above mentioned under existing conditions will be borne out, and still more if when the causes are ascertained, it can be proved that had the principles here advocated been carried out in practice, there would have been no strike, nor any threat of one. [10] On Municipal and National Trading, p. 109. [11] Ibid, Chapter VII. [12] On Municipal and National Trading, p. 107. [13] “On Municipal and National Trading,” page 10. [14] “Westminster Gazette” of December 2nd, 1913. [15] See “The Railways of Great Britain” by Lord Monkswell. (Smith, Elder & Co., 1913. Price 6/-). A most interesting book, published since this pamphlet was written.--Lord Monkswell is not an advocate of nationalisation, but apparently has an open mind.--He admits that England is now only served by five groups of railways, and that there is no effective competition. [16] In Palgrave’s “Encyclopædia of Political Economy,” Vol. III. (1899), Article on Railways, signed W.M.A. CHAPTER V. FINANCE OF THE SCHEME. The final and most important criticism of the scheme will be on the matter of finance.