The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-13
Rock Island General Offices in
Topeka Are in Order.
Satisfaction Expressed Over
New Location of Work.
WILL HAVE TO BUILD.
Present Building Capacity Is
Not Large Enough.
Other Items Of General inter-
est in Traffic World.

The first two weeks Of operation I'M
der the new organization OF the franc
conditions and officials of the ROCK
Island lines has ended and the otncers
of the road are pleased with the sue
cess of the venture.
The officers at the head or the newly
created second district with headquar-
tiers in Topeka agree that every thing
has been running smoothly in the time
since the change. They predict that
the REORGANIZATION will be perman ent
with the road and will carry on the
entire business of the system Tor many
years.
It is a new scheme-this dividing
the lines of the road up into three
districts and giving each general
Northumberland is the key to the
operating secret in the modern rall-
reading of today. The time mas pass
ed in all big railway systems IKE the
Rock Island when the entire line IS
operated from the home office or the
president and his staff.
Not that the president mas peen
from that-but he has given himself
more personal power by supervising
his road with more 1ieutenants VINO
are able to get at the grass roots OF
E,veryone knows the old theory Of
rafIroding. A president, a few vice
presidents, a general manager, a gen
eral passenger agent, general frelgnt
agent.
brilliant array of officials around him
usually at the terminus of the lines
and with the exception OF one or
two inspection tours" every year the
entire railroad system was run by the
aid of a typewriter and stenog-
Now it is different-at least on the
Rock Island, the Santa Fe and other
up to date roads. Now the system is
divided into districts and each district
a
passenger agent, a general supertn-
tendent, a superintendent of motive
power, an engineer maintenance OF
way, a general freight agent, general
attorney claim agent, etc.
Each general manager has supreme
sway over the operating department
of his district. He is the head of a
railroad of his own and only to the
executive officers is he held response
BILE for what goes on in his district.
Take A. E. Sweet, general manager or
the Rock Island in Topeka, or G. W.
Kouns, general manager of the Santa
Fe in Topeka. for instance. If you
want to go to the head of the Santa F'e
general offices in Topeka you wade
through four or five thick carpets and
your card is given reverently to Mr..
Kouns. In the Rock Island general
offices it is the same-and you are
work-you can find the responsible
party without writing a letter to Chi
cago and having it answered by some
clerk.
1t is really on the commission form
of government theory. Each man is
directly responsible for the work of his
department and If anything goes
wrong it takes but a short time to
trace the cause. The only difference
between the railroad work and the
commission form of government is
that one comes after years of hard Ia
Dor and practical experience and the
other is picked from the tree after
weeks of clever political dealings.
The Rock Island-a road among the
leaders of the west with $500 miles of
tracks, divided into three districts.
The second district including all of the
rich territory of the central west CEN
tiers in Topeka and since the first of
February the officers at the head of
this district have been in the office
building here.
Rushing Work on Offices.
It will be a week before the remodel
ing of the building is completed-but
all of the more important changes in
theinterlor have been made Visitors to
the offices now will find practically
new inside appearance-the arrange
nent of the rooms has been changed,
all of the walls have been 1etinted and
painted, the floors in the big offices
have been relaid and vanished, parti-