The Topeka state journal., 1911-09-29
RAILROAD NEWS.
Rock Island Retrenchment Or
der viii Affect the State.
All Expenses Will Be Whitfield
Down 10 Per Cent.
ALL BUSINESS Is DULL
Railroads Only Means to Cope
With Present Conditions.
Other Items Of General Interest
in Traffic World.
ALL BUSINESS Is DULL

The general order on the Rock Island
Lines requiring a 10 per cent cut in ex-
penses comes as blow to Kansas. 1t
means immediate orders from the
headquarters in Topeka to slice all i'm
proVements. It is bad sign for all
contemplated work and puts a silence
on extension rumors.
When interviewed this afternoon, A
L. sweet. general manager of the sec
ond district of the road, admitted that
although he had not been informed Of
ucially, of the retrenchment order, he
was not surprised and was ready to
begin whiting on improvement work
at once
ITO those who are aware of business
this year, there is nothing unexpected
about this order" said General Man
ager Sweet. 1T is necessity on every
railroad in the country. Traffic condi-
tons are poor, not only in Kansas but
IN practically every state in the
Union
General Depression in Business.
The statement made by General
Manager Sweet tells the story as far as
railway and other business is con-
cerned. The leading reports of a rail-
road probably form as truthful a
barometer of the country's business as
any other one branch of commercial
work.
The Rock Island is a western road.
It's 5000 miles of lines honeycomb the
great southwest. With its Chicago and
st. Louis connections on the east, the
gulf rights on the south. the rich agri-
cultural veins OF the north and an out
let to the coast in the west. this road
is able to tap the business situation in
the west and in the country as well.
Have you noticed the fluctuations in
railway stocks lately?" said Mr.. Sweet.
"Of course this may be due to more or
less speculation, but to the average
business man it has significance of
disturbed business
And when Mr.. Sweet made this re-
mark he was not aware that in the east
at this time there are rumors to the
effect that the Wabash was ready for
the receivers hands.
No Cut in Passenger Service.
General Manager Sweet assures the
people of the state that there will be no
reduction in passenger service. The
order for 3. slicing of expenses does not
affect directly the man who buys his
ticket
our train service always depends
manager. when business is poor we
lay off our crews-when business is
brisk we place them in service again.
This order for a decrease of expenses
does not affect this service. We always
operate our trains as economically as
possible and with regard to the busi-
ness that we have to handle before u.s.
Where It Hurts in Kansas.
There is another story to tell in
Kansas. A few months ago 1t was an
nounced in the State Journal that the
Rock Island Lines would spend more
than a million dollars in improvements
in Kansas in this fiscal year. Plans
had been laid for an expenditure of this |
Many of these improvements have |
been started. For instance the Rock /
Island has spent thousands of dollars |
In reballasting several of it's lines in |
the state. Additional thousands have !
been spent for improved dispatching |
methods. New depOts, eating houses I
and freight buildings have been plan /
ned and work on many of them has /
started.
The 10 per cent cut order will fall like /
a thunderbolt on many of these i'm I
provments. For instance the Rock /
Island had the plans all drawn for a
$40, 900 addition to the station and di-
vision office facilities in Herington.
These plans will be placed among the
spider webs until business rewards the
Rock Island with a renewal Of these
specifications.
cut in the payroll of the Norton
shops will have to come. A railroads
first effort to keep down expenses is to
set aside improvements. Its second
step is to lay an economical hand on |
the shops. other retrenchments fol-
low.
The order on the Rock Island is p
simply a warning. It means that if
the railroads are to be harassed con
tinually from every source, they have
only one defense-that is a cut in ex-
penses. Take 10 per cent from the pay
roll of the Rock Island in Kansas and
It viii have no little force on the
1amper of prosperity on many Kansas