IW'
The Commoner
' V0L- 18, NO. 9
10
'i w
Government Administration
of the Railways
A Reply to Tin Critics
The critics of railway operation
undor Government management have
been answorod In a statement recent
ly Issued by Thoodoro H. Price, who
1h now actuary to tho United States
Itallroad Administration at Washing
ton. Mr, Prico briefs tho grievances of
tho various complainants as follows:
1. Tho advance In froight and pas
senger ratos.
2. Tho abolition of tho through
bill of lading for oxport froight and
tho cancellation of export and import
ratos.
It, Tho dismissal of solicitors who
"took an interest in tho handling 'of
tho truffle" and tho consolidation of
fro'ght and ticket ofllces. ,
4. Tho wlthdrawaal of tho credit
previously allowed in tho matter of
froight charges which must now be
paid boforo or upon tho delivery of
tho goods unloss tho conslgneo givos
a bond that will protect the Govern
ment. G. Tho difflculty of getting in
formation rogardlng tariffs and rates.
G. Tho discontinuance of the
package car service between impor
tant jobbing and consuming sections.
7. Tho withdrawal of the shippers'
right to routo their freight as they
chose.
Mr. Prico also quotes tho following
editorial from a prominent daily
newspaper:
"Wo havo now some details as to
the first flvo months of government
oporation of tho railways; and while
it is far too soon to pass any judg
ment, two facts stand out very
strongly and aro worthy of note.
"Tho ilrst is that in those fivo
months, on tho face of tho figures,
tho roads carried slightly less ton
mileage than in 1917. This, in spite
of tho tremendous pressures of war
and of tho known increase in many
lines of production, is certainly very
significant. Extra trafflc has been
carried in other ways, largely, as we
know, by motor trucks.
"Tho second fact is that tho num
ber or availablo locomotives and cars
remained practically tho same as in
tho first part of 1917. Thoro was no
increase. Tho roads were taken over
for their supposed inefficiency. But
tho government, with all its money
and power, has found it easier to ac
quiro experience than to increase tho
efficiency or the railroad machine.
"Aftor flvo months of unlimited
credit and power there is no increase
in cars or locomotives, or rail move
ment, or tonnage hauled. To iuoyo
their increased traffic tho industries
of tho country have had to resort to
tho highly expensive carriage by
motor trucks over country roads.
This may havo been unavoidable, and
tho railway administration, like the
fuel bureau, may havo done every
thing possible. It may prove its
wonderful efficiency and high superi
ority in time. We merely point out
thero is no evidence yet that the
Government is performing no mira
cles that might not have been expected
of tho roads themselves, if they had
simply had enough monoy to go
ahead in their ordinary way."
Mr. Price says that this ia a fairly
complete summary of tho criticism
that is being directed at Govern
mental administration of tho rail
ways, and after quoting the statistics
upon which it purports to be based
of tho year was 0.G nor cent Ipqo i,nn
during tho same months last year,
lio adds that whilo they show that
mo numuor or tons of freight carried
they also show that tho loaded car
freight mileage traveled in the car
riago of this freight was 562,868,512
miles, or 8.G per cont less than tho
distance traveled under private man
agement in tho carriago of nearly the
same ton mileage of revenue freight
during tho same period in 1917.
Dealing with tho reduction in the
average dally mileage of locomotives
and freight cars, he points out that
this is due to the heavier train load
and car load, and explains that is not
economically practicable to haul
heavy trains as fast as light ones,
and that the Railroad Administration
has adopted tho policy of loading
train's to capacity and moving them
on schedules that arc not too fast to
be maintained.
This showing, he claims, indicates
not inefficiency, but a striking in
crease in tho efficiency with which the
railroads aro being operated, and as
serts that It Is directly duo to the
heavier loading of tho fright cars and
tho greater train load now pulled by
each engine.
Ho continues as follows:
Tho average carload has been in
creased from 2G.2 to 28.5 tons, or
8.8 per cent. If this ratio is main
tained, it will bo the equivalent of an
iiddltioii of 8.8 per cent, or 211,200
freight cars to the present equipment
of about 2,400,000 cars, and if the
ratio of increase in the train load,
equal to 2.7 per cent, is maintained,
it will bo the equivalent of aclrtimr
about 1,750 to the present equipment
or some
sorts.
Surely this is better than buying
new cars and locomotives at a time
when they can only be had at extrav
agant prices and the manufacturing
energies of the .country are overtaxed
to provide tho things required for
tho winning of tho war.
Instead of proving the inefficiency
of Government management, these
figures furnish the strongest possible
proof of its efficiency and wisdom in
demonstrating that tho old cars and
engines are being made to do more
work than they performed under
private management. This same pro
gress toward the intensive use of the
present equipment is to be found in
the report of loaded cars arriving at
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh during
the first four weeks of July. This re
port is as follows:
(Comparative statement loaded
cars and tonnage contents arriving at
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh four
weeks ending July 27, 1918, and
corresponding four weeks previous
year.) L ua
Cars. Tonnage.
:KS 100,228 3,023,207
1917 107,158 2,752,765
These figures show an increase of
9 per cent in the tonnage and a de
crease of 7 per cent in the cars used
The number of tons per car In Sy
this year, is 30.2 as against 25.7 tons
in the same period last year. The in
crease of 18 per cont, if it
general throughout tho country
would be tho equivalent of an addi
tion of about 432,000 cars to Z
freight car equipment oTrat
Although the Government has rn
cently ordered 100,000 new flight
cars and about 4,000 engines hive
been under order for a lorn? tiZ
to Provide for tho expected increase
in the traffic, they cannot be turne(l
out in a day and whilo waiting for
them tho present capacity of motive
wtiu StOCIC IS lioJno-
load, but by sending the traffic oyer
tho shortest anu lease ivmaiaui.
routes without regard to the caprice
of tho shipper. Moreover, priority
has been given to orders for tho large
number of locomotives required by
General Pershing for military opera
tions in France and tho locomotive
works havo been thereby prevented
from delivering promptly the engines
ordered for the railroads.
In several cases the distance that
freight in transit between two im
portant cities formerly traveled has
been shortened by from 200 to 500,
miles and in rne instance recently
some 8,999 cars carrying freight be
tween two western cities were within
a period of sixty days re-routed so
as to effect a saving of 195 miles in
tho mileage traveled by each car.
This was the equivalent of 1,754,644
car miles, which at six cents a car
milo means a saving of $105,278.
As to the alleged movement of
freight by motor truck it can only
bo said that the Government is mov
ing regular freight and passenger
trains promptly, notwithstanding the
extra tax imposed on its facilities by
a troop movement now averaging
1,100,000 men per month, that there
is no freight congestion or delay, that
tho cars supplied to the coal mines
are now in excess of the daily load
ings and that if shippers are sending
their goods in unusual quantities by
motor trucks, which is not provable
and is doubtful, their action is not
the result of a lack of railway trans
portation. In fact, the Railroad Administration
has of late been urging merchants
to take advantage of the present
carrying ability of the railroads to
stock un against, fholr wtf.o, ,-t,.
1"WV-IU s.l UllJllltJII L I - IT til LCI llCUUM
G5,000 locomotives of alllwnen weather conditions make train
operation more difficult.
Of the other items in the indictment
of government operation of the rail
ways referred to it Mr. Price re
marks: 1. That the advance in the cost of
transportation is less than the ad
vance m wages and the price of al
most every other commodity that
society requires.
2. That through bills of lading for
number of tons of freight carried scientifically increased i nr Li?g
mile during the first five months1 in craattiur th 21 ,i' I10' 0"1? Y
OJir load ami
the
export cannot bo issued because
Government has nronm.i v B
room jd therj fi SSrS.tg
between
3. That as comnnHfinn
the railroads no lomrer pi0iTfi.en
is no occasion for competitive sollot?
ors and ticket offices and that S
abandonment will save tho railroad
about $23,000,000 annually. "
4. That the Government i8 not
authorized to extend credit to enn
signees for the freight they owe X
the goods are delivered, and that it
cannot exceed its legal authority,
5. That a new and simplified clas
siflcation and rate book has been Dre.
pared "and will be effective and avail.
able as soon as tho shippers them.
selves approve it.
6. That a continuance of tha
package car service would have in
volved a wasteful use of facilities that
are needed for the winning of the war
and '
7. That if shippers were allowed
to select the routes by which tw
freight would be carried, the efficiency
and economy that are shown to have
been secured by re-routing could not
have been obtained.
To this categorical refutation of tho
grievances aTleged by complainants
whose attitude reminds one of the
couplet which runs
"The good old times
All times are good when old,"
and suggests that they are to ha
classed with the chronic reactionaries
and opponents of progress, I can only
add that two months' close study of
what has been and may be done under
a unified management toward increas
mg the serviceable efficiency of the
American railways convinces me that
the wisdom of the President's action
in takinc over the transportation
facilities of the country will be cum.
ulatively demontrated as the years
roll by.
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n
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. N. Z. SNBLL, President.
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3
train
2fttalM