Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1897-12-09

forged capitalization.
Should certain companies refuse to
surrender their alleged rights, then
let the roads be coidemEed and taken
on payment for the corporate equities
Or, if preferred on the part of the gov
eminent, let the roads be paralleled
by competing lines, built and handled
by the government This policy will
bring the overgrown corporations to
reason as soon as 'earnestly adopted.
But, what would be the gain by gov
eminent possession and management
of the railways?
l answer, ~ unity of management,
and the regularity and reduction Of
rates (s) Consolidation OF the entire
system, and the discarding of all cost
ly appendages now maintained by
those petty and perpetual annoyances,
known among the roads as "competi-
tion," which now exists now only in
name to fool the people. 1t is estima-
ted that through unity of management
by the general government, at least
one hundred and sixty million dollars
per annum would be saved. (3) The
present payment ON flctitiOn capitali-
zation, amounting to not less than
three hundred million dollars annual
ly, would, also, be saved. (N These
savings would enable the government
to employ greater number of men in
the operation of the roads, with short
or hours and better pay. (5) Govern
ment management would eliminate
the millionaire railway kings; and the
immense saving thus effected would
reduce the charges for transportation
Of passengers, freights, and the U. 8.
mails TO a mere fraction Of present
rates These highway men, known as
railway kings, are the most costly APP
pendages of our railway system. Their
greed is unappeasable, and the waste
through incompetence and petty hos
tilities toward each other, are incom-
prehensible. (0 Under government
management the operation OF the
roads would be far better, more econ
omic, moro business like, and more
satisfactory. This fact is often proven
by the usual practice of the incompe-
tent corporations, which, when they
get their matters into general and
hopeless tangle, hand the roads over
to q government ''receivership." The
courts quietly take the roads in hand,
undo the tangle, remedy the difficult
ties and hand them back to the incom-
petent corporations This practice is
so common that all have seen examples
of the successful government manage
ment, as compared with corporate in
capacity. (7) The management of the
roads by the government, employing
more men with shorter hours would
save very large per centage of the
present railway carnage.
There are many causes Of railway
accidents, among which are prominent;
~ crossings at the same grade; (9)
varieties of couplings; and (3) curva-
ture of tracks All of these causes are
intensified by the overwork of the
yard men. In fact, all other causes of
accidents in existence are intensified
by the employment of overworked and
exhausted men. Take the case of an
engineer after a run of dozen or
twenty hours without rest; can he see
the signal with the clearness of fresh
man? May he not, often, approach
crossings with less carefulness when
exhausted than when rested? Can he
keep in his mind the exact location
and radius of the numerous curves of
the track, that he may approach them
with a safe speed, when worn out as
well as when rested?
But engineers have told me that
when on long and exhausting runs,
they often steal little sleep, permit
ting the fireman to have charge of the
engine. That is to say, an incapable
man takes charge of the engine be-
cause the engineer is worn out and
must have rest. That is risky; and,
when the fireman must look into the
white blaze of the furnace attending
to the fire, it diverts his attention and
so dims his sight that he loses the To-
cation of the crossings and curves of
the road, and it disables him from
seeing and obeying signals, and thus
bad accidents often occur. In all cases
of long and exhausting runs, dupli-
cate crew should be kept on board, and
no conductor, engineer, fireman, or
other important man should be allow
ed to remain on duty more than six or
eight consecutive hours without rest
This is the rule adopted in many of
the great industrial establishments,
where the work is exhausting, and,
it is necessary that il proceed safely.
In some of the great rolling mills, GER
tain men near the exhausting heat are