Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-05-18
Economy the Watchword of the
Western Railroad Systems
For the Present
TO MAINTAIN GOOD SERVICE
But Improvements Are Being Deferred
or Abandoned and Cost of Mantle
nance Reduced to the Minimum -
President Hill Of the Great Northern
Discusses the Situation.

I
of March all the northwestern and
north Pacific railroads reported de-
crease of about / per cent in gross and
| OF nearly 10 per cent in net earnings
! The figures are about the same rela-
| lively as for the traffic of the country
at large. With the exception of the
southern and southwestern roads, all
| lines reported similar results. Since
the end of March the managers of these
northwestern lines have adopted Il more
! rigid system of economy. On the Mill
waukee Wisconsin Central Greal
Northern, Northern Pacific and Soc
lines the method of economy has gone
farther perhaps than on the Union Pa
eific, North Western, Canadian Pacific
or Great Western. 1t is specifically
stated that the specific economies will
not disturb the efficiency of the SER
vice. A local Milwaukee official from
the st. Paul division in New York re-
Gently said:
The aim is to cut down the unit
cost on the road. In other words, we
are trying to get the expense of NOV
ing the average ton of freight and the
average passenger one mile down to
pairing the efficiency of the service. To
do that we must make one man do the
work of two In many cases and make
one engine do the work of perhaps one
and a quarter.
1T is a difficult problem. A railroad
cannot lay off number of its freight
and passenger trains, because the pub
lie will feel that the service is running
down. TO avoid that and still make
oper ton cheaper is the problem we are
all working on at present. When the
passenger business gets very light we
can cut off coach here and a sleeper
there, and SO save a few dollars of
hauling cost. We can watch incidental
expenses closely. At such times there
is generally a pretty rigid checking up
of conductors accounts, station re-
ceipts, etc. Freight Is a more difficult
problem. The best medium of economy
is the increase of the car load and the
train load. 1t is an axiom that q train
consisting of just as many cars as the
engine can haul over all grades without
helpers. each car loaded exactly to ca
pacity Is the cheapest train to operate.
In times when traffic lightens 1t is diff
ficult to divide your traffic SO that these
two factors can be put together. For
instance, suppose station wants ten
cars a week in full times. and loads
those ten cars to capacity. All other
stations on the line have also their
fairly regular amount of tonnage. The
system establishes its way freight to
pick UP those cars and take them to a
division point. At that point a certain
of trains are made up each
week for a thru train to- say, Chicago
When traffic gets lighter, the trains
made UP at division points will be
either fewer in number or lighter. If
they are fewer the service is jumped on
by the shippers, who want to know why
their shipments are two days or so
slower. On the other hand, if the thru
trains go out lighter than their capac-
ity. there is a waste of engine power.
These losses are almost Inevitable
in dull times. They are offset by keep
ing the maintenance corps at as low
a figure as is possible compatible with
safety and with the maintenance of
the line in just as good shape as ever.
There are thousands of little meth
DDS in daily use on all the lines of the
rails, the wire men. the carpenters,
joiners, furnishers. etc, pretty hard,
taking 1t all in all.
I'm the great big things the econ
omy is more marked. For instance, |
believe that our road has decided to
hold up, for the time being a great
1eal of double tracking. That saves
about $4,000 a mile on the division.
1t saves about $500 miles in rails
alone. Then, again, understand that
The Rock Island has held up its bal
lasting in Iowa. That saves it posi-
oly, $1.200,000 a year on those divi-
SONS
The remarks of this official were
approved by the representatives of the
Great Northern. Northern Pacific
Union Pacific and Wisconsin Central
rhe Union Pacific has not apparently |
'elt the need of the same degree of
as the others, but it is ad- |
nitted that if traffic does not soon |
,ick up, some such regime is likely |
IN that system also. A Great North |
.rn man said:
Mr.. Hill was wise enough to get |
tbout a year ahead of the other roads T
n this respect. He started to econ I
,mize in this way about twelve
months before the others saw it COM
ng The only big expenditure that l |
,now OF on his line in the past eigh-
cen months was the work on the /
;teamships and that will pay for itself
n the long run. 1t had to be DONE"
THE PERPETUAL.