The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-12-01
Ube Urtbune
Only Republican Newspaper in tn. County
HENDRICKS & COMPANY
FC5LISEEERS.
TELEPHONE No. q.
OFFICE-Centennial Opera House Block.
1T West LaPorte Street.
Entered at the Pos;ofhce at Plymouth. In
diana as second-class matter.
Plymouth, Indiana, Dec. 1, 1910
TAFT MESSAGE
WILL URGE A
5HIP SUBSIDY
MECHANICAL ENGINEER Elk
PERT DECLARES METHODS
WILL REDUCE ANNUAL
EXPENSES.
Shippers Hold Railroads Have Mad
No Effort to Reduce Opera
ing Costs in Recent
Years.

Washington, Nov. IA saving o.
100000 900 annually in railroad
operating expenses in this countr
might be accomplished by the adop
ton of scientific methods of manage
ment, according to Harrington Emer-
son, a mechanical engineer expert
of New York City, who testified be-
fore the Interstate Commerce Com
mission today. This estimate which
is identical with the amount named
by Senator Aldrich of Rhode Island
as a possible economy in the admin
istration of the Federal government
on business principles, was made in
the course of the hearing on the pro-
posed freight rate advances in official
classification territory.
Today s session of the commission
consisted mostly in discussion Of
scientific management by expert wit
nesses. This line of testimony was
closed late In the afternoon when the
commission adjourned until Friday.
Attorney Brandeis, for the Allan
tie Seaborad shippers in summing NJ
the scientific management testimony
of his witness reiterated his request
that the commission conduct on indie
pendent investigation if it believed
that the railroads have not introduc-
ed such scientific methods and he be-
lIeved that he had produced evidence
to show that they had not. He said
the railroads use of the recent wage
increases as an excuse for rate in
ereases pointed of San increase of
the burden of the American public
More Increases Coming
He called attention to what he de-
scribed a prediction of the heads of
great trunk lines that the pending in
ereases were only an earnest of what
the public is to expect; that the pub
lie must become accustomed to a pro
gressive rise In rates throughout the
country.
Mr.. Brandeis assumed that the bur-
den OF proof was on the railroads to.
show whether they have put into
operation economies which he did not
believe existed and that those econ
omies should first be practiced before
resorting to advances.
Charles b. Going managing editor
of the Engineering Magazine told of
the Atchison, Topeka & Sante Fe
Railroad effecting a net saving of
$5,300,000 in five years in its repair
and machine shops through fundamen
tai organization and analytical study
Standardization of instruction, etc.
Harrington Emerson engineer fac
tory manager investigator and bust
ness instructor, described the appli-
cation of scientific management of
the railroads. He testified that il
was by no means settled that larger
locomotives meant diminished cost
while on the other hand it was quite
likely that the railroad could no
haul as much business as it does now
with the smaller engines and other
equipment of twenty years ago. H.
did not think very much of thoss
railroads that had done nothing ir
the way of scientific method.
He referred to the Union Pacific
and Southern Pacific several times ir
response to questions by Commits
sioner Prouty who asked him how il
was that those two enterprising roads
had not seen fit to adopt those prin-
ciples If they had not done so. He
said he talked with James Hill and
he knew that Mr.. Hills road uses
more power for a less amount and
hauls a larger tonnage per lccomo-
tive than the Union Pacific.
Mr.. Emerson believed that a rail
road manager Unjust be born again"
He said all railroads were efficient in
some directions and particularly
cited the Chicago, Milwaukee & ST.
Paul as n that has a remarkably
good record for full efficiency. He
contended that railroads efficiency
would be impossible without some
scientific management but he knew
of no road that had adopted s%cienti-
fc management as a whole.
p. Taylor Bryan counsel for the
Business Mems League of st. Louis
introduced as a witness p. w. Coyle
traffic commissioner for hat league |
formerly assistant freight manager
of the Wabash system and for forty
one years in the railroad business.
He said the league represented up
ward of 65 per cent of the freight
tonnage out of st. Louis. He alleged
that there is no Justification for the
proposed increases in rates which he
as grossly unfair and dis