Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-02
8O1oars No Longer swOOp Across Prairiss
on Express Time
SCHEDULE LONGER AND TRAINS HEAVIER
Full Tonnage Must Be Taken on Before
Start is Made
CHANGE CALLED ECONOMY BY COMPANIES
James J. HIN blamed for the IAnOva-
tiOn which Has Disrupted the
business Plans of
Large Territory.

tiOn which Has Disrupted the
Business Plans of a
Large Territory.
Recent changes IN railroad methods are
having an effect anything but pleasant on
the jobbing business. For a number OF
years the territory served by Omaha Job
bing houses has had the beneht Of fast
| freight train service and under II the
dealers have come to depend on the celebrity
OF the railroad service to a degree that is
most exasperating Just at present Freight
was handled with all due dispatch and
until a short time ago trains we're sent
speeding across the prairies at a rate that
was equal to what was considered a good
gait for an express train few years back.
Now this is all done away with. The new
rule is heavy loads and slow time. and
trains must be full trains when they pull
out Of division points. II the cars for a
full train are not ready, the train waits
for them. Shippers and buyers are natur-
| ally much discontented at the new order.
and while they cannot in the very nature
of things talk for publication over their
names, they are not at all backward In
privately expressing their views Of the
situation.
At the door OF James j. Hill Is laid the
trouble. II is his policy. the shippers In
sist, to do the business OF his Goad In the
most economical manner possible. no mat
| ter what the public thinks Of the service.
The complaining patrons OF the Hill lines
agree that he is justified in his endeavor
to make the road pay an income on tho
heavy capitalization due to his merger
scheme, but insist that It is not just or
| 81. a.
burden. 1t is contended that Mr. Hills
present economy is disrupting business and
is not in any way satisfactory to the pa
| irons OF his lines On the other hand, the
railroad men set up that 1t Is out Of the
| question to raise the rates, and that, as
economy must be practiced, the only ave-
nue. open is 10 curtail the fast train serv-
ice.
shippers Are MuszIed.
| Heavy shippers as rule do not like to
complain against railroads in a public
manner. for as one OF the Omaha jobbars
recently expressed II. "the railroad can
drive jobbing house out os suainess In
a short time by quoting secret lower rake
TO a competitor, and one therefore must
be on good terms with the railroads. but
the policy Of Mr.. HnI in one particular az
least has caused considerable dissatIsfac-
tion and shippers are talking among them
selves. The most Objectionable feature OF
the new instructions sent out is that which
urges upon those governing the running Of
freight trains the importance Of securing
full loads before the trains leave the sta
tion. This means that an engine which
can haul fifty cars must not be sent out
with less. and that cars must be loaded to
their full capacity. Said one shippers
1.-THE new rule Affects shipments from
the east in this manner: When the fast
freight. which carries, say fifty cars is
ready to leave the station and II Is found
that there are sixty cars for the t ain, the
additional ten care are cut out and laid
over until the next day Under the old
\ policy forty cars OF slow freight would
be added to the ten cars and the train sent
out in two sections. II means that now
there is delay in delivery Of additional
cars for twenty-four hours. II does not
affect US so much on delivery Of freight
from the east however as upon shipments
TO poipts in the interior OF the state"
Branch JiaeH suner.
Another shipper, speaking of the effect
on western shIpmetits said 1--WE are re-
ceiving complaiufs from towns on branch
lines OF the BgfirSton 10 the effect that
shipments are frcM f1rfsseight hours to
three days late and that this is due to the
fact that the company win not send out
trains without full tonnage. When a coh-
signment arrives at a function point. billed
TO some town on a branch, II waits there
until load is made up for the train which
is to carry IT, This does not affect US so
much on the through business as on the
shipments to local points"
Said another shipper; "Hill is going to
| 4nr than 0na In Ma
braska II he follows out the policy he
has indicated. In my line we are not ship
ping heavily now, so we are little affected
at this time, but l am IN a position to
know that the policy Of the Burlington has
changed in an important particular. Under
the old management the Chicago once de-
pended upon the Nebraska officers Of the
company, and business In this territory
could be transacted at Omaha. Today
questions which we're cnce settled a,
Omaha Headquarters must be sent to Chi
cago, and the opinions OF the Nebraska Of
icers seem TO have much less weight thar
formerly The Hill management has also
curtailed the number OF passes and amount
of other free transportation issued to chip
pers. This may be all right. and for one
have no complaint TO make about II. but
am certain that roads which do not follow
this plan viii get business which formerly
went to the Burlington"
what Helps the Burlington.
"The Burlington service is no worse
than that of any other road" said another
shipper who patronizes several lines, "bui
that is for a peculiar reason. The Bur
lington engines are not large, and the tota
tonnage which they can haul singly y
much less than that OF the engines Of sew
eral OF the other roads. While the pres
ent plan seems 70 be 70 get the full ton
mage out OF each engine. tTafhe Is so heavl
that trains are running in fairly salts
factory manner. II the engines OF thii
road were az heavy as some OF the freigh
engines used by other roads and the com
pany insisted upon the full tonnage befor'
the train started there would be much NOR
trouble. but as II is the greatest complain
comes from towns on branch lines. wher'
half OF the trains have been taken on dur
ing the last few months"
BIRmes Jim hin.
"Jim hin is forcing his ideas Of freish