The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-09
USING MORE CARS
The Railroad Situation Is Con-
siderably Brighter.
Fewer Cars Idle Now Than Two
Weeks Ago.
1T is HERE TO STAY.
TwO-Cent Fare Schedules Will
Become Permanent.
That Is the Opinion Advanced
in Washington.


cline in railway traffic which reached
such heavy proportions in January
was checked early in February is in
dicated by the most recent reports
of the committee on car efficiency of
the American Railway asSo citation
which shows that the number of idle
cars in the United States and Canada
was smaller by over 10000 cars on
February 10, than it had been two
weeks earlier.
That the number of idle cars is
still so large as to give much concern
to railway managers can not be
gainsaid, but some encouragement
at least is found by railway men in
the fact that there are fewer cars
than on February 5, or at any date,
in fact, since the beginning of the
year. The net surplus of cars on
February 10. is given as 319.264.
Two Cent Fare Here to Stay.
Washington. March From in
formation received by the Interstate
Commerce commission from promin-
ent railroad officials it is pretty GER
tain that cent passenger fares have
come to stay. There are reasons for
this conclusion. One is that the COM
mission is informed the railroads are
unable to show that the rate is con-
fiscatory, and the other is that they
are unab Bile to agree among them
selves to make 2 cents the minimum
rates in states which have passed 2
cent laws. A contributing reason also
is that passenger train mileage has
been reduced by hundreds of thou
sands of miles per month in the inter-
est of economy and it Is therefore
impossible to tell the exact effect a
reduction in the rate has had upon
the revenues. The general recession
in business likewise has had its effect
in complicating the situation beyond
all hope of an intelligent analysis.
1t Is true the railroads report a larger
passenger business during the past few
months than they enjoyed during the
corresponding months of last year.
That is to say, more passengers were
carried one mile than were carried one
mile during the same months of 1906
1907. For carrying this greater num-
Der of passengers the roads received
less money, but the application as to
cause of loss in revenue can not be
made, owing to the general recession in
business.
Increase in passenger travel under
normal conditions is rated by the rail-
roads to be about 10 per cent an
nually, but the reduction in rates in SO
many states undoubtedly caused some
increase in travel, despite the hard
times.
The allegation that the Western
Maryland Railroad company. one of the
Gould lines, has been forced into the
hands of receiver by the provision
of the Hepburn rate act, prohibiting
carriers from transporting products
owned and controlled by them, has
aroused the interstate commerce COM
mission to a point of saying some blunt
things about receiverships in general.
One of the members of the commits
sion, speaking with reference to roads
that recently have been placed in receiv-
ers' hands. declared that railroad man
ayers are merely seeking a way Ito
give the laugh to creditors
There would be fewer receiver
ships of railroads. said this official,
''if courts were forbidden, as they
should be. to name officials Of rail-
| roads as receivers. The International
& Great Northern went into the
hands of a receiver the other day,
not because there was real need, but
because it didn't want to make GER
tain improvements demanded by the
road, and one of it's officials was
made receiver Now the Western
Maryland, another Gould line has its
president named as receiver, and
charges it to the operations of the
coal mine-railroad divorce provision.
I don't think there was any good
reason for the receivership. or that it
would have taken place If the law
| provided that officers should not be
named as receivers.
'"The Seaboard Air Line went into
a receivers hands, not because there
was real occasion, but apparently be-
cause two factions thought it the best
way. and the president was named as
! one of the receivers"