, 1907-10-14

DAILY EDITION MONDAY DC
have to satisfy n contend with, and
the army of over one and one-half mil
lion employees, which like all armies.
must have efficient leaders; and thor
ough discipline if safety and success
are to be achieved; n If n consid.
ers that the development of the coun-
try and its business growth have been
so rapid that it has been impossible
for other industries to keep pace with
it, Is it not remarkable that the rail-
roads are meeting. as well as they are,
the demands made upon them without
a substantial increase in rates, particu-
larly as the cost Of everything which
goes into the construction, improve
ment, maintenance and operation OF
railroads has enormously increased?
Enactment Of Many Laws
Within the past year a multitude OF
laws have, been enacted with a view
to the regulation of railway companies.
In view of the valuable and f~ar-reacn-
ing public services that must be per
formed by them, may it not be true
that much OF such legislation has been
~amateurish, in comparison, with that
of older countries, in that it has been
hasty and restrictive only, and not
also constructive, as it ought to be II
the welfare of all the people is to be
promoted by those who are entrusted
with public Office, and by semi1publ!c
officials and employees? Has not much
legislation by the states been enacted
with no view whatever to aiding tue
railroads in solving the great problems
which confront them, and will such
Legislation, in the quiet hour, seem ex'
cusable from any point of view; par
t~icularly hat which may be found.
after painful processes. to be actually
invalid?
Figures are sometimes dull reading;
sometimes they are illuminating. Per-
haps the following will serve to illus
trate the part performed by your COM
pany the past year, in its capacity as a
public servant:
Little Over Two Cents.
The number of passengers carried
was 2,SO1, 500, at an average rate Of
|2.44 cents PERI mile-a trile more
than a two-cent postage stamp-and
this partly in a section where physi-
cal operations are most. difficult n
where wages are probably the high.
est in the world. Compare this, for
example, with England and Wales,
with an area of $4,000 square miles
(about one-half of Colorado or about
one-fifth of Texas), where the num-
Der Of ~pastsengers carried Is more
than in the whole 3,025,000 square
miles of the United States. In Enc.
land, with much lower wages, he reg
ular third-class rate is a penny 1.-TWO
%cents) per mile, and first-class passen.
gers (only three per cent of the totaD
pay over three cents. The railway
mileage of Great Britain is about one
tenth of hat of the United States, but
it carries nearly one-half as much capt.
%talization.
One Cent Per Ton
The number of tons of freight car
ried by your company during the year
was 1896, sol, at an average cost 20
the shipper of LOS cents per mile
two thousand pounds carried n mile
for about the equivalent OF a one-cent
hostage stamp. You distributed during
the year:
For labor and material employed Ia
productive operations, 100000. Gan
increase over the previous year OF
more than $1,000, OO0). For taxes over
sa35 900. For improvements and new
equipment over $4,4OO,000. For new
construction over $500, 600. A total
of $50, 1895, 900. To investors for inter-
est, a little less than $4,000 900. To
Investors for dividends, $4,000.
Doubtless two-thirds or more OF the
payments for material and for improve.
ments, new equipment and construc-
ton, went to labor in n form or an
other.
Reciprocity Of Duty.
Legislation affecting the vast trans
portation necessities and interests OF
a unified country should, like that of
older countries, protect as well as SUI
pervise; for duty is reciprocal and is
not bounded by state lines. AS 4
federal Judge has recently pointed cut,
legislation by me state may have the
effect of subjecting an adjoining state
to determinations. Conflicting legis-
lation by the states results in chaos;
and it has already come to pass that
the ensuing impairment to credit has
not only retarded development in such
states, but legitimate aspirations for
development in other states, which are
as truly part CT a united country, have
been, SO far as a now be seen, in
definitely postponed.
vii Relieve Friction.
The fact that recent national. legis.
lation is being carried out practically
and tremendously by the government
and the roads, will doubtless result in
relieving friction and afford a better
understanding of the motives and work
of the railroads, and the necessity,
from the standpoint Of public welfare
Ito say nothing OF that of private in
vestors, whose confidence must be re-
tained) of not gripping an industry