, 1906-12-29
GOVERNMENT RAILWAYS ABROAD

Judge Lambert Trees observations
on the inefiiciency of European rail
ways owned by government as on
trasted with British Or American rail
ways owned by corporations will meet
with the Endorsement Of any one who
has had any experience with the for
eign roads. The suggestion that among
other reasons for thankfulness We
have SO far escaped the blighting eff
fects of government ownership is worth
considering. The ~untraveled mar who
looks only at statistics of profit and
loss will, if wise, listen to the words
of one who has had occasion to travel
in different countries and who, there
fore, can compare the personal comfort,
the speed, and other matters which
make up efficiency on foreign and
American lines. The average traveller
does not care much whether the rail
road is making money OF not. What
interests him is the quality of the ac-
commodations, the spirit of the en-
ployes, the punctuality of the trains,
and the safety of travel.
In the matter of safety it must be
confessed that American railroads are
not yet so carefully operated as Euro
pean roads. The reasons for this are
connected with the cost of labor and
the smaller density of population. They
are purely financial and have no con-
nection with government ownership.
In fact, the railroads of Great Britain,
which are owned privately but under
strict government control, are safer
than the government owned railroads
of the continent.
In everything except safety the
continental roads. The cars are clean
err, more convenient. and more comfort
able. The employees are more civil and
obliging. The depot accommodations
and the facilities for obtaining tickets
and handling baggage are better. The
trains make better time and adhere
more closely TO their schedules. Per
sonal outrages are almost unknown on
American railroads, while the com
partment system common in Europe
lIends itself to assault, robbery, black
mail and murder. Oeercrowding, while
icommon enough on suburban trains, is
rare on through trains and may always
be avoided by %reserving seats in ad,
vance. Travel in sleeping cars or chair
cars costs less than first class travel in
Europe, and sleeping cars in Europe
are at almost prohibitive prices.
The character of government of
ticials which government ownership
gives railway employees in many Euro
pean states leads to a scorn of the gen.
eral public on the one hand and a sub.
serviency, based upon petty grating
on the other hand. Strong language to
a careless employee becomes virtually
lese majesty, to be paid for in jail,
while a judicious bride will cause the
infringement of almost any rule to be
overlooked. The average man fares
nowhere SO badly as in contact with
government officials, before whom all
citizens are, theoretically, equal. An
other phase of government ownership
is the disarrangement of the whole ser,
vice to accommodate military officials
Or travelling p~otentates. Routes are
chosen from strategic reasons rather
than to suit traffic, but that is not so
bad as the habit of making all private
business subordinate to government
business, even where the former is
urgent and the other unimportant.
The state or the national government
can do more for the people by regulat.
ing the railroads than by running
them, if English and continental ex
p~erience has any value for us.-Chicago
Tribune.