Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-03-11
TRAMPS CAUSE
MUCH DAMAGE.
railroads Estimate Loss al
S25, 600, 900 Every Year.

The damage done by tramps to
railroad property every year is esti-
mated at S25,0O0.0 eo. The damage
TO private property which the tramps
J reach by railroad is probably far
greater. If 1t were not for ride
stealing"-this is the assertion of
men who w spent years studying
the vagrancy problem-the hobo"
could be practically put out of bust
ness. Free transportation is an abb
solute necessity of the profession.
The "hobo' may seem highly
amusing to the readers of comic pa
pers; and he is a valuable source of
income to jokesmiths and the artists
who draw Fantastic pictures of
Weary Willie" begging a piece of
pie. But he is no joke to railroad
men. For he is continually break
ing into cars, assaulting employees, |
or tampering with equipment in a ,
way to endanger the lives of passen-
gers.
The Lehigh Valley has been one
of the most active among railroads
attempting to end the abuse, but the
lenity OF local magistrates has oper-
ated in the tramps' favor. To put a
tramp in Jail is expensive for a small
community; the authorities usually
content themselves by telling the Of
fender to move on" Thus he Is
merely dumped upon some other
community. The practice works as
an endless chain-each town PASSING
On its tramps and In turn receiving
tramps that have been passed on by
other towns. II
A plentiful number of signs,
warning people to keep off the right
of way, have been put up by the
Lehigh Valley. Apd the company
has a police and watchmen,s force, !
the members OF which try to keep
the trespassers off the tracks and
trains. But the most that can be
said for this ~precaution Is that 1t
tends to make ride-stealing a little
more inconvenient; the only thing
that can really end 1t is severe pun
ishment by the arm OF the law.
Charity organization societies
have interested themselves In the 4
problem, and seek to cooperate with 4
the railroads in bringing trespassers I
to Justice. Compulsory labor of E
some kind, 1t is thought, would be h
the most powerful deterrent, but E
hat remedy meets the opposition of 4
he labor unions; they say it would Il
10 putting convict labor into COM 81
with honest w~orkingmen. A N
move would be for the State y
o relieve local governments from
he expense of furnishing offenders,
8 the cost of keeping a tramp sup
lies the most powerful motive for
le magistrate to let him go.
In Europe trespassing upon rail-
property Is promptly and sev-
ely punished, and that is N OF
@ cas~ rs underlying Europe's rela-
edom from accidents. In this
when accident statistics are
oted, 1t is often the practice to
mp all the killed and injured In
E grand total; yet of that total a
proportion are persons tres
upon railroad pro~perty--
aling rides o walking upon the
cks. a
time ago the mayor OF q
v Jersey town found that p
IA was being preyed upon, some
at more than usual, by tramps,
! concern became known to d
Iciais of the Lehigh Valley raii-
i'd. and they vera only too willing
'sosn hands with him in giving
o ride-stealers a lesson So IT
"a arranged { stop all freight
ains within the limits of the town,
/, a certain day. This was done,
ia the days haul amounted TO hfty 4
r sixty ramps They we're hailed
the magistrate, and ne meted
ut severe punishment, In most
ases tail terms. Since that time
town has a bad name among
knights of the road" IA