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368 HETlfODS OF SOCIAL REFORM.
many paseengers would inevitably be left behind at wayside
stations. Now, men and women and children are not like
goods, which can be laid aside for B few hours, or a day or
two, until the pressure is over. They are greatly irritated
and inconvenienced when delayed a few hours, and in the
ooeo of long prearranged joumoys, or business engagements,
detention from tho want of train accommodation would be
r simply intolerable. In the case of omnibue traffic the vehicles
oan often be filled, because the distanoes are small, and the
i pmengers left behind have the alternatives of waiting a few
minutes for the noxt omnibus, or taking a cab, or, if it comes
t. to the worst,, walking. Omnibus trains running short d
tances, such as thosu ou the Metropolitan Railways, can be
filled pretty ~ u lon l tho sumo system, and it is not uncommon
to have to wait for tho nest hain. Reasonable complaints are
made at present concerning the unpunctuality of travelling,
and occasional detontion from tho failure of correspondence
between trains; but this is nothing to what monld happen if
any ntternpt were made to fill carriages, on an average, say
throe-quarters full. Chocrpness of travelling is not the chief
benefit of railway conveyance ; we gain still more from its
rapidity, safety, certainty, regularity, frequency, and comfort,.
Millions of journeys are mado in Met,ropolitan Railway trains,
in spite of tho bad air, at a cost of 4d. or Gd. or 8d., instead
of by omnibus for 22. or 3rZ. or 4d., simply to save time and
trouble.
In order to reduce fares in any great degree, without
incurring bankruptcy, every kind of retrograde measure mould
have to be adopted. In place of frequent half-filled rapid
trains, a small number of large, slow, crowded trains, stopping
at many stations, would have to be adopted, as on many
Continental railways. Frequent changes at junctions would
have to be made by those travelling to great distances, and
the loss in time, trouble, and temper mould more than balance
my gain in money. Cheapness is not everything.
One of the wildest suggestions which has been made is to
the effeot that uniform fares for journeys of every length
ahodd be adopted. A gentleman propod, I believe at e