The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-10

The Great Westerns annual statement
has occasioned considerable talk among
st. Paul railroad men and especially
among the officials Of the Chicago-St.
Paul lines President stickney's theory
regarding the saving which his road
makes on account Of direct lines from
St. Paul to Oelwein and from there to
Kansas city and Chicago is questioned.
The annual statement does not seem to
bear him out to his conclusion, as the
statement of earnings per passenger
train mile are not large enough.
The Great Westerns lines east and
west are so constructed that they cut
from each point of a triangle to
center. Chicago, st. Paul and Kansas
City represent the different points Of the
triangle, and Oelwein the center. Great
Western officials have exploited this fact,
drawing the conclusion that on account
of the arrangement now in force by
which the service to Oelwein from st.
Paul carries the Chicago and Kansas
City business 10th, and the service from
Kansas City and from Chicago. the st.
I Paul and Chicago and the Kansas City
and St. Paul business, while the Omaha
ana milwaukee, lines, nave u
make the three sides of the, triangle that
the Great Western makes a saving of
half the train service necessary to the
operation of the competing lines. The
fact that each train running over one
diagonal from the center of the tri-
angle, carries the business due to go over
the other two diagonals, is given as proof
of this theory. On account of this situa-
ton it is argued that the cost operating
l. hot Of
pettng lines, and the earnings per pas
senger train mile are proportionateiy in
creased over the lines, making all three
sides of the triangle reach the same
points
The total mileage on the Great West
ern's lines to Chicago and Kansas City
via Oelwein, from ST. Paul, is ISL. The
mileage of the Omaha to reach the same
points is 1884 The NIilwaukees mileage
is somewhat more than twice that of the
Great Western. The theory of President
Stickney, however, is hardly borne out
by the last annual statement Of the road,
which gives earnings per passenger train
mile at 66.1 cents. In comparison with
this figure, the Omaha's statement for
1898 gives per train mile passenger earn
tngs almost double, $1.16. The Milwau-
KEGS figures per train mile are not OBJ
tainable but were given unohetally yes
terday at about 1924 Considering these
facts railroad men are inclined to believe
that the Great Westerns theory is not
substantiated, or else an undue amount
of free transportation or low rate tickets
have been issued.
The comparison between the Omaha
and Milwaukee and the Great Western
with relation to business to Kansas City
and Chicago from st. Paul IS hardly fair
for the reason that both roads handle
a larger business. The difference in traf-
fic is not great enough. however, to ac-
count for the low rate of earnings Of the
passenger department figured on the
mileage basis. The Great Westerns
freight earnings make a more favorable
showing, but leave the same discrepancy,
since it is logical to believe that with
much smaller mileage the road ought to
proportionately show increases IN profits
in reaching common points.
The Zig Four, which though more
freight than passenger line, has many
points in common with the Great west
ern and shows earnings per passenger
train mile of SG.25 cents for 1898. No sat-
fsfactory reason for the Great Westerns
difference in theory and practice IS CIV
en-. It is thought that money spent on
construction work and Improvement may
have influenced the figures of the annual
report.