The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-19
Western Railway Officials See
Better Times for Future.
Mr.. Kruttschnitt Says Low Mark
Is Reached.
HARD TO LAY OFF MEN
Missouri Pacific Official Notices
an Increase in Traffic.
Other Items of Interest in
Railway Circles.

JunuS kruttSchn1tt, director OF main
tenance and ways for the Hartman
lines. sees "a way of sunshine ahead, %
and bases this upon reports made to
him by subordinate officials He says
in this connection:
Business has reached quite a low
water mark and any faint hope is Gag
erly seized. We have hopes, however,
or business soon recovering from its
present state Of fright and getting back
into the old channel. Some lay the
cause of business depression to one
tnlng and some to another, and I can
not say, myself. what the cause is We
hope the revival will not have to wait
until after the presidential election
The most distressing thing to me In
this case is that the splendid new
shops the Union Pacific has in Omaha
are Idle. 1t does not take as many men
to keep UP the equipment as it did six
months ago, owing to the number of en-
gines out Of service and not requiring
repairs
Hard to Lay ON Men.
ITO men who are responsible for the
operation Of these lines, 1t Is a harder
task to be compelled to lay men off
than most people think. One year ago
we were handling a vast volume Of
freight and doing 1t on small margin,
but the amount was SO great that we
made money and barrels Of it. Now the
business is not available and we have
to move freight on the same margin,
and therefore cannot show profits
Asked whether new work and i'm
provements would have to wait for a
resumption of business activity, Mr.
kruttschnitt said he did not think any
railroad manager was now thinking of
starting any new developments. They
were still busily engaged in trying to
49, Il
them conform with the decreased bus
mess of the country.
An official of the Missouri Pacific
discussing the present situation and the
outlook for the future, says:
Our traffic is larger and look for
further gain. Merchandise movement
should expand because dealers let their
stocks run low. Commodity tonnage
shows slight improvement in the in
dustrial situation. Alphabetically We
are between sea sons
Missouri Pacific Gains.
Farmers will soon begin spring work,
which will mean more business for the
railroads. Winter wheat has done well.
There is a good. deal of corn in the
country. most Of IL in bad condition
Dry March winds would make much OF
it merchantable, so that we might get
considerable tonnage. Missouri Pacific
territory is very productive, though
only half developed.
I'VE cannot advance rates to an ex-
tent worth mentioning, but we can get
along if we are not compelled to reduce
them The Nebraska railroad commits
sion asks us to show cause why they
should be reduced. In Kansas the rail-
roads have had to go to court to protect
themselves against an arbitrary and
sweeping reduction. In Nebraska we
hope this will be unnecessary.
Throughout the west politicians are
finding out it does not pay to attack
corporations indiscrininately,a 1t used
to. I believe the anti-railroad cam
paign in most western states is near the
end.
Operating conditions are satisfac
tory. Wages are too high in relation TO
earnings, but the men at work are pro-
ducing more units of effort and in
better spirit than for a long time"