Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-02

A"ANNNAN ANnN hNH NhANakW W RNhfNA -
all roads has been heightened tweuty-four
hours. That Is, II will take freight ship
ments from Chicago TO Denver one day
longer to reach their destination than
heretofore. Hills theory is that by run
DinR slower and handling heavier trains
there will be a bigger gain TO the railroad
companies. Undoubtedly go; but Il Is q very
great inconvenience 10 the public. In carr
rying out that theory Mr.. Hill will not al
lew the freight operating departments he
controls to make daily. runs in many por-
tloos Of the state vhsre they have been in
the habit OF doing so. lie insists that
every freight train shall wait until IL has
a certain tonnage before II starts out, re-
gardless Of the inconvenience this process
may cause the shippers. Prompt shipment
Of freight has been one Of the great points
In favor OF the Burlington system In Ne
braska; many a freight train has been run
at a loss simply In order TO keep the train
on schedule time. Hills system IL on a
strictly public be damned basis and
simply means that freight Is not to be
handled by the railroad company until Il
can be done SO at the greatest profit to the
railroad company regardless Of the incon-
v~enience II may cause the shipper.
Railroad men who are up to snuf see
what Hill is driving at. OF course, a rail-
road so operated will naturally mako more
money for the stockholders, but It is a
blight on the community through which It
operates. The modern way Of doing busl-
ness by telephone and telegram is utterly
baked and vitiated II time Is going to be
lost In forwarding the freight after the or
der has been received. Every shipper In
Omaha IL driven nearly crazy already on
account Of delays in shipment. The rail
road companies assert II is due 10 lack OF
cars, but you can readily see II this policy
OF slow shipment IL IN use now that IL will
require a tremendous increase Of rolling
stock TO DO the same amount of business
on slow time as has been done on quick
time heretofore
All ON slow Time.
One week ago yesterday the railroads In
and out OF Omaha stretched their freight
train running schedules from one hour 10
three hours on every hundred miles. This
was done by agreement, and was simply a
move towards economy Of operation. Every
road save the Chicago g. Northwestern
heightened the running time IN this way.
The agreement was not a hidebound one,
and THAI road, though represented at the
meeting al which II was determined to
take this step. decided not to make the
change for a time, at least. No attempt ID
made by the operating and the freight de-
partments OF the railroads involved to con-
ceal this change IN freight time-cards. II
Is candidIy admitted, and the trafnc men
have very @eady explanations OF the act
Said enc prominent trafhc ohicial.
Speed costs money. We can run bigger
loads by running slower, therefore we can
run cheaper by running slower. This move
Is a definite step towards financial re-
trenchment, and II ia In q measure one OF
m,rf.Arg,a-- 49, ~1at. ~.--. ~.
teriaI is more expensive. Yet we may not
raise our rates TO meet these advances
We are not like a coal trust. We cannot
boost the prices TO suit our own demands
Therefore we turn to greater economy Of
operation AZ a very eficient method OF
accomplishing the same end.
safe for the Roads.
"And just now It Is a very safs PROPOSE
tion for any road to enter upon. No road
can lose by It at this time. as we are ali
rowded TO the limit with business. Al
q time when trafhc was light and the com
petition for Il therefore very keen. natur-
ally the road that held up TO q fast schedule
while the others cut would get the major
part OF the business, but not so now. We
all have ell we can do, and more, and We
might as well do it siow as faet, and .
whoie lot better as far as the Golfers Of
the railreads are concerned
Mere business scommon sense sirDEhpted
this step. 1t would be a matter Of ordi-
nary enterprise and judgment. at thil
time when the roads are so notoriously
short Of motive power, and when every
thing costs 30 much. to let one engine do
all II can In the way Of a haul and dis.
regard the speed. We were foolish not "a
do II sooner. But We have awakened te
the situation at last, add all the past weel
there has been a general slowing up Of
freight trains and a general increasing Of
their size and weight.
Embarrassed shippers.
''of course this has caused some embar-
rassment to shippers at the start. II would
be impossible to iEansurate a change %
sweeping without some little dineultles
arising at the start, but they have moi
been many. Before the operating depart
ments we're we'll accustomed to the new
order Of things shipments were delayed
some, being held tiii the trains grew to I
size sufficient to send out. Now we arr
getting all that systematized. and Their,
will not be much more trouble.
''ot course the shippers laid everything
that did happan to that one ~thing-th,
change In schedule Here We are at a tim
when Il h true that eyafy line OF railroa,
Is congested with AuHintsa , and when con
ditions are existinA on all lines, undeI
which tFainc delay Is always sure to occur
Yet all these diflcuftiee. which would 10
the most part have happened anyway. ar
charged to our slowing up Of time.
Take AdvantaKs Of Night.
"In many ways this slowing Of frelgh
will not affect the shipper 4 particle. TAX
the case Of our Chicago trains from Their
here. Every night after the close OF th
days business IN Chicago q train start
for here with merchandise, and the forme
schedule was about twenty-six hours. Tha
brought the trains In here about s or
o'clock the next night, There they Ia
all night long. as OF course no deliverie
could be made till the next morning. Nov
II costs money to bring those trains acros
at that clip. and now we are going to say
some Of that money. without harming tn
shipper q particle. either. The train
viii now take seven or eight hours NOR
for the trip and viii get In at anywher
from 1 o'clock 10 9 In the morning. III
deliveries will be made then at once, hu
no later than ie the train had been lyin
there all night long, and no sooner. IN
same thing holds true OF the service be
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