The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-14
RAILROAD NEWS.
V1cePresfdent Miller of Burling.
ton Sees Nothing Hopeful.
Money Situation Improved, But
Business No Better.
EXPECTS WORSE SLUMP
Many Men Laid Off and Re-
trenchments Practiced.
Other Items of Interest in
Railway Circles.

Darius T. Miller, vice president and
traffic director of the Burlington, and
one Of the shrewdest traffic men in the
country, is now in Los Angeles. While
I'm Salt Lake City, en- route to the. coast,
he appears to have talked with unusual
freedom, as witness the following state
ments credited him:
There is not one single Indication
that the situation is going to improve
as regards business handled by the rail-
roads of the country" he declared.
1.-THE financial situation has righted
itself and money is plentiful enough for
ordinary purposes. The foundation of
the trouble lies, not in lack of money
for commercial purposes, but of lack
Of confidence in such purposes
There is little construction work go
ing on any place in the country, and
consequently supplies are not being
shipped. Merchants are not buying,
manufacturers are not buying and pro-
ducers are not shipping. The panic has
switched from the financial world to
the industrial world, and this country
is facing a big Industrial crisis.
1T is my opinion that the railroads
will experience a worse slump in busi-
nses than they have yet had.
II believe more men will have to be
laid off and that wages will have to
come down.
There will be no more construction
work done by railroads.
II am confident that from present in
dications this situation will prevail
throughout the United States until at
ter the next presidential election, and
hope things will right themselves af-
ter that event We all trust that the
election will clear the atmosphere, but,
Of course, no one can tell.
Lack of confidence by the public in
railroads and other corporations Is re-
- Ar-s- T. i 4
interference with these caused the
panic"
Asked If he anticipated trouble with
labor unions over prospective reductions
in wages, Mr.. Miller replied:
What trouble can we have? We can
only pay men SO much, and If they
don't like it, they will have to seek en-
ployrnent elsewhere. Several roads
have gone into the hands of receivers
since this thing started, and there will
be more there before it is over. A road
cannot live and pay out more than 1t
gets in revenue.
An Army of Men Laid or.
ION the first day of Novernb Der, 1907,
the Burlington road employed $4,000
men. On the first Of January this year
we employed $4,000 men. This means
that in the past few months we dis
charged $4,000 men. We have not cut
wages on the rest as yet, and I cannot
If it is how soon it will be done. I only
know that we are handling less freight
every day and that when : left Chicago
the burlington alone had nearly 1000
freight cars idle. The slump hit US
within ten days. l can say as an act
nal fact that one week we had more
freight than we could handle. and by
the close Of the following week we had
idle cars along the system, and they
have been idle ever since. with the num-
Der increasing every week The east,
the middle west and the west have all
caught the slump alike. We expect
better conditions to come in time. but
from present indications there is no
hope. The situation looks too disap-
pointing.
h,,t wa are face to face with a serious
situation, and rather than meet it with
eyes shut, we are going ahead planning
and scheming to come out on top"