100 years ago in Spokane: As private car ownership rises, so does the cost for a streetcar ride

Streetcar fares in Spokane were likely to go up from a nickel to seven cents, after being granted approval for such an increase by the Public Service Commission.

The two competing private streetcar companies in Spokane could even ask for a doubling of the fare to a dime, but Mayor C.M. Fassett said he didn’t think such a drastic increase was likely.

“There is a point of diminishing returns which the companies cannot afford to overreach and that point lies somewhere around the seven-cent mark,” said the mayor. “Higher fares would result in patronage falling off so that revenues would possibly not equal those at present. A 10-cent fare, for instance, would force many people to to walk.”

The streetcar companies were in serious financial trouble, mainly because ridership was dropping due to widespread auto ownership. The companies were cutting out some of the less profitable routes, to the outrage of commuters.

The city was threatening to sue the Washington Water Co. for canceling some routes, but negotiators reported progress on those talks. There was also increasing talk of merging Washington Water Power’s lines with the Spokane Traction Co.’s lines.

From the Native American beat: A bill was introduced in the Washington State Legislature to designate the fourth Saturday of every September as “American Indian Day.”

The plan for a holiday was conceived by American Indian leaders and was intended as a day for people to “consider the mutual interest, friendship and destiny of the white and red races.”