New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-08-19
AUTOS HURT RAILROADS
Western Passenger Receipts
Seriously Affected.
LOCAL TRAVEL ALMOST NIL
Nebraska Has 10000 Cars, or
About One TO Every Forty
eight Persons.
w T.LeEra,t . - Trlhun.

Omaha, Aug l6.-Automobiles are Just
playing hob with the passenger receipts
OF Western railroads. and traffic officials
are wringing their hands over the new
condition Local passenger traffic has
dw!ndled % almost nothing and tourists
are now travelling by automobile instead
~ railroad. In TIC place OF using the
railroads 20 reach mountain and lake re-
sorts. Wcsterners are taking shorter trips
in their AUTOMOBILES. As "A result trains
are running half full ~ passengers and
the country roads which parallel the rail
ways are crowded with automobiles all
day long and half the night
So serious has the situation become that
th" Burlington Railroad Company has
asked the Nebraska Secretary Of state FOR
an possible Information concerning auto
mobiles one bit Of Information was that
there was one machine in Nebraska %
every fortv-cight persons within the
boundary. This includes men. women and
children
Instead ~ pat-onizing railroads people
are now taking automobile trips on their
vacations" tho railroad men say. land
local traffic Is simply cut 70 pieces. When
a business man at one station wants 10
transact business IN an adjoining town. In
stead Of waiting for a train he climbs into
his automobile and is soon at his destlna-
ton. The loss to the railroads Is ire
mendous- greater than any one would
imagine"
Burlington officials say. according 70
data received from the Office or the Score
tary OF state that 800 automobiles dis
appeared when the assessor went around
a short time ago There have been 3d.
900 machines registered with the secrc-
tnry Five thousand Of this number are
credited TO "deads" and motorcycles. but
when the county assessors sent in their
returns last week 1900 automobiles were
all that had been listed for taxation by
the owners Now the Secretary has got
busy in an attempt 10 find tho remaining
1900 cars.
And all these $500 cars are busy run
ing around with passengers who would
take the railroad trains II there were no
automobiles In past years 1t was no
torious fact that in All Burlington trains
operating between Omaha and Lincoln
there were many passengers who stood I'm
the aisles for lack OF seats STRAP hang
ers" were I'm evidence everywhere. But
that is all changed now. Trains which
formerly we're so filled with passengers as
10 cause complaint to tho State Railway
Commission now operate with scarcely
more than one-half the seats filled.
And how these farmers do speed They
don't even slow M for the city streets.
The city man in the country is on rough
roads and Is afraid 10 send his machine
at its best pace. but when tho farmer
strikes the asphalted streets OF Omaha or
Lincoln he simply "Opens or up and
breaks every speed law In the city. They
have all sorts Of accidents, but that does
not deter them from taking off the muller
and going M breakncck speed
"wc have no way Of coping with the
situation" say the railroad men. Thou
sands ~ people who ordinarily take
railroad trip every year arc this sum-
mer remaining at home and taking auto
mobile rides I'm the evening. Nebraskans
alone have purchased 1880 ears since
January /, 1911. and the craze seems 10
get worse rather than better. Nebraska
now has more automobiles per capita than
any state in the Union, and although there
are but lest, 900 people in the state II Is
the fifth state IN tho number or automo-
biles and the people are SIN buying Ike
mad And cverv one bought makes just
that much less business for the railroads