The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-19
THE PLANT SYSTEM SUPPLY CAR.
Its Object to Furnish Supplies at
Cost and Save Lost Time.

Cost and Save Lost Time.
The supply car has become one Of the
institutions Of the Plant system. 1t has
been in operation number of years
on part Of the system, but has re-
Gently been extended to cover nearly
all of the lines away from the large
towns, and ultimately will be extended
over the entire system.
The purpose of the car is to supply
the laborers and track hands with sup
plies, saving them the necessity Of losing
time in going to market, and furnish
ing them whatever they need at trihe
more than the actual cost
The car is stocked with everything
that laborer requires for his family,
and goes over the road twice a month.
The men are furnished whatever sup
plies they want at cost, with 10 per cent.
added to cover the handling of the goods,
in lieu of wages If they want it, They
are not compelled to buy from the car.
but 1t is at their convenience and is al
most universally patronized.
Experience has demonstrated that a
large army of laborers can be kept very
much better under proper discipline if
they are furnished with whatever they
may need in the way of supplies at their
places of work. Where this is not done,
the laborer must lose not less than half
day in each week in going to the near
est market in order to lay in his sup
plies, and this loss during the month
amounts to two full days. In order to
keep them at their work, 1t is the policy
of the company to furnish them at their
work such supplies as they may need.
This class Of labor as a rule, is without
credit or cash. If the laborer goes to the
~ f,fry n en-, 1fna
he buys on credit. and his only basis of
credit is his labor Very naturally and
very properly the merchant charges him
a larger price for goods sold than he
would charge a customer who paid cash.
or whose credit is perfectly good. The
railway supply car furnishes him what
ever he may need at actual cost, with 10
per cent. added. This 10 per cent, APP
parent profit, is practically consumed by
the cost of delivering the supplies. The
railway company does not run the car for
the purpose of trade, nor does it run it
with the purpose or expectation of making
any profit on the goods furnished its en-
ployes.
The person in charge is never authorized
or knowingly permitted by the company
to sell goods to any person. He can only
furnish supplies to employees, who are at
liberty to obtain them from the supply
car or elsewhere, as they may see proper.
II any dfllCleS are SOlu Dy tne person IN
charge of this car, he does so in open
violation of instructions. By this arrange
ment the laborer is enabled to make full
time, and to get the necessaries of life at
smaller cost than he could otherwise do.
The advantage to the company is that
its large army Of men, scattered over 900
miles of road, is kept close in hand, con-
stantly at their work, and always ready
! for any emergency that may arise.
| The Plant system has in its employ about
| 1900 track hands, and this large force
! keeps in safe condition the 1000 miles of
| track. 1t Is necessary that these laborers
/ should be Thoroughly disciplined, and al
| ways at their posts. 1t often becomes nee
essary to mass them at some given point,
] like the Hurricane trestle when that was
destroyed by a derailment or like the
! Amelia bridge when that was burned. In
such cases these hands are gathered up,
| together with their implements
/ including crow-bars, axes, shovels,
/ jack-screws, saws and the like, from a
/ distance of fifty to 100 miles, and are
4 brought together so that the work may
/ be promptly done without unnecessary de-
/ lay to the business of the country. In
order to have these laborers where their
! services can be commanded at any mo-
/ ment, they are furnished homes rent
/ free, by the company on the line of road
\ and the company is now furnishing them
/ supplies practically at cost.
The supply car has been in use on the
Louisville and Nashville system for years.
| 1t was introduced on the Plant lines by
| Supt. Durham while he was superin-
! tendent of the Alabama Midland. and
| proving a success, has been transferred
| to the entire system.