, 1869-04-17

LOCAL TRAFFIC ON RAILWAYS.

LOCAL TRAFFIC ON RAILWAYS,
Railroads, especially IN these central
States. sEe becoming more important part
Of the government of the people than our
Legislatures. It is generally assumed with
truth that all business is best done when
each minds his own. But railroads are so
largely public business, deriving their
existence from public acts and franchises,
affecting the people more vitality in al their
interests than either taxation, legislation or
the operations Of the courts, that business
men generally are compelled to study rail
t"ad management as vital element in the
management Of their own business. It is to
lie regretted that the science and art of
1Ailsoad management have not bccn more
colnpzchcnsively studied than they have
been. Railroads are built and run Mt per-
1'etual loss. parallel with other roads that
III" built and run at a heavy profit, mainly
because Of the adoption By the one md re-
jection a,y the other Of the true principle,
If railway management. And We may re-
n,ark TIM. there is scarcely any business
more complicated or difficult than the sue
cess III operation Of railway. It should
I've IN axiom in railway science that the
rrs,Gtahlenass of o road will be mainly gov
trnc1l by tho extent Of its local trnfic, be-
can~c, having q monopoly Of this, it
can always dctnand tho maximum
price for il, while for its through
traffic il 1uust always compete with many
other lines Of RAILWAY or wafer. aud hence
must transact this portion Of its business at
tie minimum uf profit, or if the conpoti-
,in is excessive, at loss. Indeed, it may
l't tAken ns universal rule TINT no railway
dependent solely on through traffic can DO
mn at profit And yet the railways Of the
cnuntry have malo psoligious efforts to Oh.
tam through trnfhc, many Of them eacri-
tie'ny t., this object the profits naade on
their way business, while very few have
been nt nny special pains to cultivate their
way freigh,s and trnycl. The Erie Railway
sunk ail ita original capital, passed once or
twice into the hands OF ,tssignces, md
has squandered millions since in grasping at
through traffic, while tho Centrnl and
Hudson River, though longer route,
have st:n,lily kept ahcad on thei. through
travel hy means Of the greater power and
wealth they obtained from large way
traffic. It should be the business of every
railway company which can afford to look
ahead for twenty years to build up and de-
y.lop that local traffic which arises from
compact population along their line, of
Which they must always have the monopoly.
Whether their line shall be thiekly or thinlv
settled, and whether, consequently, the rail-
vsy shall be engaged mainly in transacting
business in competition with many other
routes, and at the lowest rates, or whether
their business shall be mainly monopoly,
depends very largely on themselves.
In England and On the Continent Of Eu-
rope, the population are much less given to
,ravel and chungc than here. Ono would
think it n slower work, therefore, to de-
v.lp increased travel there than here by
what might lie called a1tifcially reduced
r4te--i. e., By rates reduced to one-half
unc-{ourth. or ole-sl1th Of those which had
previously been paid without grumhling,
for the mere purpose Of seeing, rs m e1
pertinent, by how much the travel would bt
Increased.
The first noted experiment Of the kint
was that Of the London j. Northwestern Rail
way, which reduced its freights and fares t,
une-sixth their former amount, and foun'
such an increase in their local traffic to re
suit from it TINT their profits were soo'
brought mp to ninety per cent 0
what they had been under th'
previous 1Ates-the gain TO the community
Icing, meanwhile, Ave hundred per cent
The Belgian Government, which has th
proprietary control Of a portion Of tn
railways Of that kingdom, has made tn
1lt-:t careful and thorough experiments 10
ten years upon the effect of re'lucin
freishts to third Of their former figure
and so well has the experiment sncceede
that within the past four years it has applie
the same experiment to tho reductio
Of fares The faros now range ove
these RAILWAYS at from one cent ps
mile for first class to one-third Of or
cent per mile for third class, or at the rat
of from - down to 81 from New York
Chicago, instead Of about SO, the price MOI
paid. Yet these roads have 60 increase
their travel as to bring up their profits Q
high or higher than under former rate.
Without looking for such sweeping redut
lions here-thougl we think that on some {
the Lines running mt Of New York the
would pay rs well-tlo not these figures COZ
vey the highest encouragement 70 thos
railroads centreing in Chicago which NJ
running Communication trains al low rates {
fare for suburban residents? One-foursh {
tTiLuted over . radius Of fifty miles frot
the city, and furniAh the railroads, as pa
srngcrs, with seven hundred fares fu
each man per anuun,, OF may be crowde
into the city md furnish the roads wit
none at MI, according to tho policy the
uaay pursue towards our suburban popula
ti"ns. # they should reduce the rates O.
eun1nut.ng passengers to $40 per annur
fer ten miles out Of town, $50 per anuur
fo1 fifteen miles out Of town md ItO pr
s.unuua for twenty miles from the city, th
amount Of fares derived from non-cou
lnnte1a would be greater thnn under Il
existing rates, while long and crowde
trAins would ere long be require
to carry the passengers, who woul
ride every working day in the yea
4 similar course pursued toward our fasu
ing sections would retain IN Illinois m
Wisconsin . la,ge portion oi the immigr
ton which now goes further westward, an
would aford every road pursuing the polit
such m increase in its locI business ,
would result in monopoly and profit
can never derive from high freights o,
fares aud through traffic.
WAR. PHILANTHROPY AND INDIAN
Onr Nebraska correspondent, "J,,nius
in his letter, which we noticed ye
terday, seems anxious about the propos,
transfer nf the Indian Bureau to the "
Department, aud tells us tha: such tran
fer means the total annihilation Of L
Iratlian race. In that event tho Ind
Agents, whom he attempts to defend, wou
find their occupation gone. Doubtless
is this which provokes him to describe as