Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-02-24

Portland Rochester sl7s5, Portland &
Rumford Falls $ll22. Maine Central $3.50.
ssss4. New York York, New New Haven & Hartford
$lO,970 per mile. Think Of It. Compare the
Bangor 4 Aroostook at Ss2s II they Is
mile Comparison to be of any service
should be made like with like. There Is
no likeness or similarity In comparing
the roads Of Maine with the roads OF Mas
sachusetts. There is another thing you
Will remember, which Is common KNOW
ledge, that Is. that the expense of Oper-
ating the road don't increase with the in
] crease of earnings, that Is. large part
Of the expense. 1t costs almost as much
to maintain the roadbed to run two trains
day over 1t as 1t would to run 40.
now want to call your attention TO
few matters connected with the Maine
| Central Railroad, with which am par
ticularly interested. Now what would the
Central Railroad? What theories have We
| about It, wnat facts are there that we
know? In the first place. 1t has been the
policy OF the Maine Central Raiiroad ana ana
| of the roads connected with II to build
up fine passenger service In this state.
In 1871 the average rate OF fare at that
time was something over cents. ABOUT
~ cents. and the average rate per Lon
of freight was almost cents. Since thar
there has been great progress made. there
has been a great change In the manage
their develOpement, and it has been the
idea of these roads that their chance to
look for profit In this State was not from
the people OF the State here, but from the
people outside who came In here, and it
is to the summer time tables that the
Maine Central Railroad looks, To-Day. fo-
maintain that summer time table and
keep up summer travel 1t is necessary to
give quick trains and have fine rolling
stock and to accommodate the people and
of Maine are in competition with those of
the Adirondacks and others and the
method by which you can get here, the
ease with which the people OF New York
and Philadelphia and other cities can be
brought here, is the test In many III
stances Of whether they come mere or ~
on sale at 2 cents a mile. good to bearer
and it is practically the same thing y
the tickets were good for a man and MS
wife and family IT these were & pu. on " sd,e ,he
Maine Central Railroad from the dlstriDu-
ton of money received from through
fares. In the second place, II these tick-
cts were good to bearer a large percent
age of the summer travel in this State
would travel upon these. tickets
/ don't think that anybody mere Woulu
vantage or any necessity in giving these
people reduction in rate of fare, SO lar
as that goes They are here to spend the
summer and it is for !. ,ne1,rrad them ,na' large
1t is also said in regard to the ISSUING
of these tickets that they would increase
travel have ,na, no aHn1t Sa bss aa wamd bs
something of an increase in travel l
haven't any doubt, that II man mas
mileage ticket IN his pocket that some
times he would ride when he perhaps
otherwise wouldn't. Sometimes he would
perhaps take a member OF his family
when he otherwise would not. But that
increase in travel is very sight.
1t has been stated that there was a
2tU-mile mileage book placed upon sale
in lssL. That was 25Oo-mile mileage book
and was transferable only tne invest III.
ment required was $50 instead of so FOR
the lO00-fnile book. That ran on for some
time Like everything else. in the first
six months ii didn't show OF very much
value one way or the other but when you
come down to compare the year from
June 30. 1893, which was,Six months alter
they had gone upon sale, TO June W, 1874,
there is falling off in the gross passeH-
ger earnings upon the Maine Central of
over s2O00OO. I don't say it all came from
the issue of those books. but say that
was "A very large factor in II.
We found that so many more people
were travelling upon mileage books, that
We were increasing the sales, thereby re-
ducing the revenue from Marcn, loys, ~ ~
$l2 2ss or about per cent, which applied
to the whole year, If March was an aV-
erage month. applied to the Wnoie year
would make a reduction of sl50OU. Again
comparing the year from Nov. l., 1898. 10
Nov. l, 1894. when the books had been on
sale long enough so that everybody knew
their work. comparing tnat year with the
year Nov. /, 1891. to Nov. ], lS2, when
there were no books good for bearer. wei
find that the earnings had decreased
s276. 157 In an interview Mr.. Webb states |
that the passenger increase IN the year
1898 was $467, 900, or to be accurate. $i6i ~;
as a matter of fact there were about $66,-
600 ,he error was about $4O1. 600 as far as |
the passenger earnings were concerhsa:; ,ea:
He says that the revenue increase IN 1873
was 1856, 554.96. and will probably iu,,hst
tn Nnu j
is and the fact is that the road carrier
66. 600 more passengers; but carriea e tnenl
at less rate .ss, SO that the NAV
for theories upon which to draft bliis 10 |
come before the Legislature, but to take
such figures and express opinions, what
railroad, charged with the responsibility |
of furnishing the public with a proper |
service and of dealing honestly and fairiv |
had. when the year ended, got ahead |
1866. .55i96 in the bank, tnat ne nau fot
ahead so much. and when he drew ms |
had overdrawn $69l4.VS! You cannot ru"
railroads In that way.
You have got to come down to actuai
facts in connection with 1t: The net m
crease figured out in the interview was
S,49 100; as Il matter of fact II was %6W
an error of $3l3, 600. l have not the slight-
est doubt that the intentions OF the gen
tlemen who came here to ask for this
mileage are good. But with regard to
the Maine Central Railroad. and of course |
the other roads, upon their own hgures |
show there is no chance to do anything |
with them and We don't wonder that
people sent petitions in the face and eyes |
of such figures as that and i'll the race |
and ewes of the interviews put out TO |
them.
And now as bearing upon the question |
of legislative control of railroads JUST
think of that, for example lf l mad
searched history and invoked the aid o.
prophecy, couldn't have found anything
like that of today. All honest enough
simple matter of comparison. skip |
ping of tables and comparing the earn-
ings of the State of Maine in one year
with the earnings Of the entire line IN
another year. Any man connected with
the railroad who had had the practical
MANAGEMENT of the railroad in his hands
would have known. of course. in mo-
ment Just think of coming in here and
ba sing their conclusions as to what the
Maine Central could do and couldn't do
upon figures which were $Sl3,OOO out OF the
wav so far as the net earnings or the
road were concerned.
What is the real state OF things ana
what showing does the road e-in that
respect? The operating expense OF the
road in 1897 was s.. l73 2o5.56. The oper-
ating expense in 1898 was $2.99a .24lW o. That
road in 1897 was s.. liza. .2S5.5 56. The oper-
alton of the road. That is. the road felt
the necessity of economy and OF close
management. just as you have felt 1t III
your business
~. -. -, hat in