The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-14
Government Ownership in
France Proves Dismal
Failure.
PcLITlcs PARTLY CAUs
People Worry Over Inability to
Dc What Other Countries
Have Done.
ny WILLIAM PHILIP sIMMs.

lot the government ana the people.
In others ii reaps a hnanc!a! harvest
| at tile expense OF the people. Nowhere
| does the public hcncnt
The report just made TO tho Cham
Der OF Deputies on the management OF
the notorious. death-deal!ng state
owned Western Railway Ia the saddcst
example Of departmental weakness
ever recorded i" France. Exnenas2s
have so increased that they arc O.:
per cent of the gross earnings OF the
| line. Privately operated railways IN
France keep their expenditures down
| TO % per cent. ANA below. since the
western was taken over by the French
government In 1906 annual expenses
| have risen 3ia.OoO 900 n year, This
renr's accounts show a denci, grown
to the enormous sum OF $4,000 900!
The reason Tor the failure OF gov
crnncnt ownership In France Is not
one OF theory. Frances worst che
mics admit government ownership
could he 81 big success Eut politics,
pap ana general had management arc
all pinching. and. where thes. ah,iscs
leave of, another sti!l worse begins
Tn" telephone service In France IS
government monopoly. Tho rate is
hiEh. the service nhous the worst of
any civilized countr% The Telegraph
is government owned: DELAYS arc rrc.
nucn, ami long In tho trans mission ana
Vices pay tho government h.ndso,n.,v
In tho meantime tho nroDic suffer
i"oacso iS government rnonopn'v.
Result: Cigarettes of II Door quality
may ho had for - cents a pa,jSo. uf
twenty In the sam" lot. som. az In.
cigarettes viii he largo. some sman.
some medium sized one viii no pa.,icd
so tightly tina; il Will not draw: an
other will b" rosltivciv nahhr. some
"i IN" 'h"ks' arc big a, one "ud ANA
small At tho o,hcr. others arc hrnko-
81 tn" ends or ,hcir wrapper. are com
ing on &c Fhi tho tobacco monopoly
PAYS Tho government.
The manufacture and snl. al
matches are in the Envcrnurrt,s
hnrds. 'rhc result, is poor quality ma
biz prices
Va operating tho government
rhHWaE similar tactics arc pursued.
Most OF the engines are old ont ar
hh to and repair, Boat trains, in witch so
many Americans ride, arc described ne
"hrst class throu; hout," but coarIl.s
are shahbicr than third class and more
uncomfortable: aud tho trains ar. rare.
~ on time. Track equipment II, ali.
soiutriH worn on, many ,rcStlr. are
dangerous. TIL" accident nj Sarmur.
when an cntirc train ccn into tic
Ihouct River. killing moro than thirty
people, was duo 10 tw" l@o-tuu locumo.
81 bridge originally hun; Tor nftv-,on
locomotives. One OF The columns snop.
ped under the hcav: WEIGHT Engineers
say This bridge was worn on, Two
years ago
since purchasing tho property .hc
state has done comparatively nothing
towards keeping IL in repair or proyid-
ing new and necessary material. Every
review in French theatres has
= - IN 1.t
serious accidents are frequent over
100000 annually is paid out In dam
ages. From 1900 to 1906. when MI
vhtcly operated. not q single, solitary
man, woman or child was killed on
the Western Railway In the SIX years
. Of government operation there hav"
| been scores OF deaths. In two acct
dents alone, this year. something like
! MY people were killed. Three recent
accidents cost in damage ycrdicts. tust
S2So.o00. And In this time the total
number Of trains has lcssan.d instead
OF increased. and train schedule, were
| made slower, facts true OF no other
railway line in France. Also the total
number OF employees has cons ldcrahly
Increased. Political Jobs. big and little
have been created In the stations petty
employees step on each others toes ana
heels. yet all is confusion. 4 vcyarur
seldom leaves train and takes his
checked baggage with him during the
/ rush seasons; he must give them" :,
few hours TO locate his LaSgagc and
place it In the proper place. When he
comes TO get It, it Is probably amash-
ed so he hardly recognizes it,
over Sl,o00,Ueo Il year is paid out
to shippers whose property is los; or
smashed up. only the other day "a
! butcher made complain: that a car
load of cattle shipped to him WAS lan:s
overdue. and when finally run down
by a cumbersome system, the poor
| beasts were found, all right. but dead
as door nails. They died Of thirst ami
| hunger on siding: forgotten! This
is only an illustration OF what hap
| pens continually.
| Another choice bit OF Economics
! is an annual bill OF over 81 900, 900 for
! rented rolling stock. got from other
! companies. And most of this rented
' stun is simply the discarded Junk Of
| the other lines. as holiday excursion
! lists (paying first class fares some OF
! thcn) can testify:
Finally the accounts Of the railway
| are in such state that IL would take
a hundred Philadelphia lawyers to see
J heads or tails But tho Chamber of
I! Deputies has learned with amazcment
| that next years appropriate ton has al.
ready been dug Into. good and deep,
| without word of authorization. Anl
/ the administration actually demindS
f! an increase In the appropriation To
: cover the salaries OF $3.50 new jobs!
J, Which is going some. Ono deputy got
| up and remarked. not as n joke. but in
| a tragic voice, that soon there Will be
| more employees than voyagcrs on the
| line.
In spite of it's army OF employees. the
| inefficient service on the WcEtcrn
Railway has badly crippled the Nor
/ mandy and Brittany seaside resorts.
Unwilling to risk their neclss or their
limbs. also afraid to get out Of Paris
! and not be able to get back, business
men choose to so to tho much less
pleasant northern coast Of France.
simply because the Northern Railway
| has an efficient service. =,