The Tupelo journal., 1907-02-15

the management to pursue this
policy and provike such of these
facilities as may be required to
meet the growing demands of
business.
AS bearing upon the capacity
of the railroad companies to ob-
tain the means to make necessa
Try additions to their facilities
and to provide the most approved
safety appliances in operation,
the public should give fair busi-
ness consideration to the situa-
ton which confronts the carriers.
The present situation is:
An immense increase in all ex-
penses, without any increase in
rates in fact with the PROPOSE
ton almost universally made to
decrease rates by legislative ac-
ton.
The large increase in expenses
may be illustrated as follows:
| Bridge timber has increased
from SO. 36 to 500 81 per 1000 #.
Cross ties from % cents to 34-
5 cents per tie.
Steel rails from SITS per- ton
to $28. 90 per ton.
Since 1898, prices of equipment
have increased as follows: Loco
motives from S11, 1892 to from
$4,000 to $4,000. Passenger
coaches from $9,315 to 1914
Freight cars from $5O0.43 to
$765. 90. Coal cars from 1868. 90
to 81, 1850. The cost of labor
has increased per mile of road
from 81, ,621. 81 in 1895 to So, 874.-
Il in 1906; and from S2,513.6
per mile of road in 1905 to $2,-
874.71 in 1906. Taxes of the
Company per mile of road have.
since 1895, increased 63.41 per
cent. To this large increase of
expense must be added the ex-
cessive verdicts of juries in per-
sonal injury cases. 1nI addition
to this there is a marked ten
dency on the part of many of the
states to regard any failure Of
service as willful, and to impose
upon the carrier a heavy penalty
therefor.
Inasmuch as adequate facili-
ties for all are not in existence,
the imposition of a penalty for
failure to furnish cars under the
above mentioned circumstances,
if it has any effect other than
merely to deplete the treasury Of
the carrier and to deprive it to
that extent of the power to i'm
prove it's transportation and SER
vice, must result simply in the
withdrawal of the carriers facil-
tiles from the service in respect
to which there is no penalty, in
order to use them in the service
where there is a penalty. The
logical result of this would be
race between the states to see
which could infict the highest
penalty so as to obtain a prefer
ence for it's own citizens.
The imposition of penalties will
not build railroad tracks, supply
equipment, or enlarge and sim
plify terminals, nor would it, un-
der the circumstances mentioned
benefit the transportation service
as a whole, but on the contrary,
would tend to produce injustice
and discrimination between per-
sons and localities. Besides, this
naturally would develop into
preference in favor of state COM
merce over interstate commerce.
But the larger interests of the
reason that that their principal
markets are the larger markets
of the country, which are in 9TH
er States.
That this condition is appreci-
ated by the shippers will be ap
parent from the following quo.
tation from a letter just received
from a large shipper.
E Practically all our shipments
go out of the State; therefore, we
cannot use Form Al "a form usec
for the purpose of availlng of tbs
penalty laws of the State), con
sequently orders for shipment.
within the State when shipper.
use Form Al are given prefer
ence ("
1t is not to be wondered at that
the large increase in the cost OF
materials, equipments and labor
and other expenses above adver-
ted to, and the increasep Difficult
ties in transportation, are, as
shown by its published reports,
reflected in a large decrease OF
the net earnings of the company
since July l, 1906, notw thstand-
ing its increased gross earnings.
With these greatly increased
expenses Tor material. for labor
for taxes, for penalties and fol
tlamage claims, and with the just
demands Of the public for better
facilities and greater safety OF
operation. it may be apparent
thata reduction of revenues must