Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-23

manager of the road. Unable to stretch
out his feet inches in any Pullman car
berth, he determined that his company
should provide sleeping cars comfortable
for the man OF any dimension.
The Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul
railway being so located as to have pretty
regular passenger trafio throughout the
| year, finds itself better of in having its
/ own equipment. It now has eighty-three
| sleeping cars. twenty-one parlor cars and
! twenty-nine cafe and composite observa-
| ton cars. Concerning the independent
| position of the company as regards sleep
ing cars, H r. williams, general manager,
in letter just received, says;
After providing for salaries, mainte-
nance. interest and other usual charges, our
sleeping car business shows a small profit
Our average sleeping car mileage per day
is q. 24 miles This company has operated
it's own sleeping car equipment since 1890
Experience has not developed any serious
objections to the system, and the fact that
| we continue TO operate our own cars is evi-
dence OF our satisfaction with the plan"
Thus. instead of paying money to the
Pullman company for the use of sleeping
cars, the Chicago, Milwaukee f& ST. Paul
railway is getting some income from this
branch Of the transportation business
With its virtual monopoly the Pullman
company is able 10 drive hard bargains with
the railroads. For years its practice was
TO charge them cents per car mile, say,
$50 for one trip from New York to Chicago.
More recently an average for car earnings
was worked out. and this is now generally
made the basis for contract the railroad
agreeing 10 pay a certain sum VIRTUALLY a
guarantee OF profit TO the Pullman COM
pany) which payment is lessened by the
amount the car earnings exceed an agreed
sum
The Pennsylvania railroad no longer pays
the Pullman company anything. but this
IS only since the last contract was made
and because the profits OF sleeping car
operation on the heavily patronized Penn
sylvania lines are exceptionally large. Sc
far as is known, no other railroad enjoys
so favorable contract
In all cases the railroads using Pullman
cars haul them free Of charge and in case
OF wreck make good the loss. The Pull.
man company builds and maintains the
cars and pays its conductors and porters
In return II gets all the receipts and, be-
sides, a virtual subsidy, more or less
large. from the railroad. with the exception
just noted.
On a run from New York 70 Chicago n Il
calculated that car receipts would averag,
about S75 Assuming a round trip is mad,
every four days, this yields an incom,
OF S6.s25 per annum on a car costing. say
$4,000. Against this income must b,
charged maintenance and deterioration.
J. }. Hill, president OF the Great North
ern railway, which also operates its owl
sleeping cars. holds the view that a ran
road should be complete in itself Befor,
the senate committee last spring taIkinl
on rate regulation, Mr.. Hin said:
Il have made one rule-that II anybody
working for the company can buy or US,
anything that Is IN any way connected with
the company with profit for himself h,
can make the profit for the company, and
We viii not have divided service. .'-PhiIa
l delphia North American.