The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-06-13
RAILROAD EFFICIENCY.

There are always two sides to every
proposition, but as a general thing
only one of them is emphasized. That's
been the case to a large extent with
the discussion that has been going
on for some time about the need for
increasing the efficiency of the ad-
ministration Of the railroads. For
the most part the theorists who have
been insisting that the efficiency OF
railroad management is pretty much
of a negligible quantity to what it well
might be, have attracted and have
been given the most attention. the
other side is surely entitled to a hear
ing. And 1t is the opinion of railroad
experts that in one important depart
ment of railroad management, that OF
operation the largest possible practi-
cable efficiency has already been at
tanned. This opinion was voiced In
q forceful argument which was pre-
scented recently to the Graduate School
of Business Administration, Harvard
university, by julius Kruttschnitt, d.
rector of maintenance and operation of
the Union Pacific system and South
ern Pacific. company. In part Mr.
Kruttschnitt spoke as follows:
1.-THE efficiency with which any one
of our railways is, or all of them con-
sidered as a single system, are man
aged, must be gagged by the results
produced by the machine as a whoie.
Criticism has sometimes been made
that parts of II are not efficiently
operated. No railway man will deny
that some parts of the transportation
plant are not worked to their maxi
mum possible capacity.
"It can be shown, for example,
that the average tractive power of 10
and canacitV of freight
cars, have increased faster than the
amount of traffic which, on the ay-
erage, is hauled per lomocotive and
per car. 1t can be shown that the
car is much less than the average
amount which each car is capable of
transporting. 1t can be shown that
the average number of passengers
average passenger train can easily &C
commodate. But while it may easily
be demonstrated that the maximum
! possible efficiency with which the diff
ferent parts of the railway plant might
be operated under ideal conditions is
not yet attained. it would be much
harder to show that the maximum ef-
ficiency practicable under the condi-
| tions which actually exist, and with
which the railway managers have to
deal, is not approached. The rail-
way manager has not, never has
had, and never can have. the same
degree of control over the operations
of his plant and of each part of it
a manufacturing concern may exercise.
| Shippers demand, and properly, that
freight shall be transported with
regularity and expedition; and speedy
\ and regular transportation are import
tant elements in efficiency of opera
| ton. But II is often not practicable
] to move freight with the maximum
speed and regularity and at the same
7 A. L. 81
| maximum car load and the maximum
train load have been obtained. It
| would be easily possible for the rail-
/ ways to haul a much larger average
1 load of mail per mail car; but under
regulations of the postal department
\ postal cars are limited to a carrying
| capacity of only about three tons,
whereas express cars can easily be
loaded to the roof with twenty to
thirty tons of express Again, in
l the passenger service the reason why