The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1906-12-20

year i'm July" he said. ''the bulk of
1T moving in September and October"
mr.. Phelan, witnesses yesterday
testified that livestock this year has
moved later than usual and that this
is one Of the reasons for the conges-
ton of traffic." said Mr.. Harlan.
Livestock has not moved later, but
earlier" insisted Mr. Phelan. His ar
ticle in the Fargo paper was read to
him and his attention called to criti-
cism he made of delays of Great
Northern stock trains.
Il guess / know" was the reply,
when / make a practice to drive my
cattle 100 miles for shipment on the
Northern Pacific, when / am but forty
miles from the Great Northern
What is your opinion relative to the
car shortage?' asked Mr.. Marble.
ut makes me tired to hear people talk
of car shortage" was the answer quick
as flash. II tell you, there is no car
shortage. There's plenty of cars lying
around terminal yards, but the roads
are not moving them. There are too
many dead men in this railroad bust
ness, and not enough live ones. There
is too much depending upon suborii-
mates to do work mon Of brains are
paid for doing. Dead men can't do the
work, anyhow"
Says Repairs Arc Neglected.
Phelan then launchc into L1aua-
citation of the efforts Ct railroads Of
the northwest in recent years TO GU
down expenses by making ahoddy re-
pairs to engines and ears, and even not
making any sometimes, when they
were essential.
You can't expect good service on a
railroad" he said energetically, with
the application of the methods of q
man running a cheap clothing store.
There's all the time something break
ing or giving out on engines and cars,
causing delays, and lack of division
shop facilities and shop supplies to
make the repairs promptly and Well 1t
is application of the principle Of man
buying an auto and then expecting God
to take care of it," The witness then
launched into q lengthy criticism of
the condition Of Northern Pacific To-
comotives.
1.-THE Northern Pacific" he said, aat
one time was to be compared with the
up in fine shape as to detail. l re-
member one instance of roadmaster
telling me he had found as many as
$50 broken rails in one stretch of lao
miles, and yet in his work had never
had an accident, tell You the trouble
is the roads are all trying to do big
business and with every expense cut
down. This economy and tonnage
mile craze has made half the railroad
men crazy anyway. The Northern Pa
cific following the lead of the Great
Northern, has put down extra heavy
rails, and these are supposed to last
forever without the former care of the
track being provided on this score,
shops have been abandoned at Man
dan, Fargo, Glendive and other division
points. It's poor housekeeping; poor
management"
Mr. Phelan. in bringing cattle from
Dickinson to the Chicago market. said
he has suffered innumerable delays
that, in his opinion might have been
obviated had there been competent
management. He cited instances of a
loss of twenty hours time at Lari-
more on one trip, and of another train
taking thirty hours to move from
jamestown to Fargo. In one instance
he waited two hours with twenty cars
of cattle for orders, then three hours
for an engine only to find that it was
dead" then several hours more for a