The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-02-02

hunarad miles long and were not re-
coyared until after the lapse OF six
months and a great volume OF CORE
~nde involving daily delay, loss
of time and annoyance. In one re-
snect the experiences of the four were
alike. Invariably they had been met
nv the various railroads with which
dealt and to which they had to
complain in q spirit Of suspicion and
aDDarently With desire to cause as
much delay and annoyance as possible
AND to give the least possible accom-
and assistance. Not n
Of the four had been PAID TOR n
actual loss suffered. All IN MAKING
INQUIRIES and claims had been required
70 traverse endless maZes of red tape,
TO be referred from one department to
another. to be rebuffed. submitted to
endless cross examinations by. mali, TO
stand in the position Of a suspicious
character under inquiry from a police
man.
The comparisons Of experiences set
tied down to two sDeculations-
First, whether any business IN the
world could be successfully operated
by the system Of circunnlOcutiOn. mis-
treatment Of customers and disregard
for the rights and feelings Of the gen.
erai public which mark the conduct
of the average railroad company.
Second. how many thousands OF
group of American citizens
in active business, from one enc OF
the country to the other, hold exactly
similar conversations every day Of
the year when the subject Of railways
IS preached?
The conversations n experiences
of the business men present conceded
in the conclusion hat the average
RAILWAY is not organized or co-operated
on business principles: that it's higher
operating and directing officials are
chosen to represent certain interests
or to have CERTAIN effects on the mar
kets for securities rather than for
efficiency, ~and paid e~Xtravagant sal
aries. while the salaries Of those be-
tween the highest and the grades pro-
tected by the labor unions are squeezed
to the lowest possible limits, with the
result hat men who might be efficient
are indifferent, lose their ambition
and crafty their resentments by bully
ing the public when opportunity offers.
From the outside of these practical
and business people it appeared that
the average railroad adopt the system
OF employing three men at small
salaries to do the work that could be
done by one man properly paid and
with his ambition kept alive and that
instead of doing like the average busi-
iltSS lildi, WHO lIlcS I SURROUND HIN
self With energetic efficiency and to
impress on his force the necessity OF
dependence on n consideration for
customers. it undertakes to man itself
with human a~utO1nata carefully drilled
to disregard customers and to anpe
and annoy them as much and consider
their rights and interests as little as
possible.
AS the News Leader has protested
time after time 1XQ hoyo M rr,.7ro
against railroads and very earnest de-
sire to see them prosper and earn
large returns for their stock holders
while giving good service to their
customers. We are constantly m
pressed, however, with the belief that
no permanent Improvement in the
condition of the railroads can come
until they have reformed themselves
III" tendency Of the railroad man is to
insist that the present system is per-
iect, tina nothing in it should be
changed. that all existing troubles are
caused by an unreasonable and reyO-
lutonary public and the politicians.
DuTlnS an observation of more than
thirty years we never have been able
TO find q railroad man of importance
Wiling TO cOncede that there was any
thing wrong in the d or man
OF the railroads generally or
70 acknowledge that the public had
any right to interfere in management
or 70 nave any voice in it or knowledge
OF II. IN these thirty years we have
seen every suggestion or change or
Improvement III behalf of the public
or employees met by the bitteres1 op-
position and the ablest argument.
Yet during all these thirty years con-
NerSatlOnS such as that related above
nave developed whenever any group
OF American business people discussed
raltroadE y cannot be that the rail-
roads possess all the brains, virtue and
conservatism Of the country. Yet
they have assumed that they do. Re
S1StllS M and improvements or
rylnS to eXtort privileges and adj
X~antaScS. they have hnncht lee;sla-