Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-11-07
AUTOMOBILES
CUT The TRAFFIC
TESTS BY RAILROADS SHOW THAT
THE AUTO HAS REDUCED
REVENUE OF ROADS.
U. p. INVESTIGATES
Western Line Found Its Passenger
Business Affected In Varying
Amounts at Various Places
over Route.

That the automobile has become
factor in more ways than one Is read
| lily seen in an editorial published IN
recent issue of the Railway Age Ga
zette. This publication goes into thu
matter quite extensively and shows
where some roads have made tnvesti
cations that have revealed the 1nroads
made on the passenger revenues o.
western lines by reducing the carrying
of passengers by the roads. The artl
Gle Is given in part below:
Made Investigation.
A few years ago steam railway Off
GERS were considerably exercised on &C
count of the actual and prospective
inroads on their passenger business
caused by the rapid development OF
the network of electric interurban
railways. with their smokeless. fire.
quent service and low fares. Many
railway officers are now alarmed be
cause of the effect of the automobile
on their passenger business. While
some have deemed it too insignificant
or inevitable for serious consideration,
others have Investigated the subject
and have been able to trace distinctly
appreciable losses in earnings to the
increasing popularity of the automo-
bile. While difficult to measure, these
losses are felt in the earnings from
local, short haul business, and also in
those from long haul business because
many people in comfortable clrcum-
stances. who formerly took summer
vacations involving railway Journeys
now t. Ike their recreation either IN the
form Of motor tours or in daily
pleasure riding.
A comprehensive investigation of the
subject has been made by the Union
Pacific, much of whose road lies In
prosperous territory, the physical con-
formation of which is especially
adapted to the use of the automobile
During the summer Of 1911, in order
to ascertain to what extent, if any, the
use Of automobiles was affecting local
travel. Gerrit Fort, passenger tramc
addressed an inquiry TO all
agents on the Union Pacific and ore.
gon Short Line, and also questioned
the principal wholesale houses IN the
territory of the two roads. This IN
curry developed that exclusive of Kan
sas City and Omaha, but inclusive or
Denver and Salt Lake City, there were
19.OO4 automobiles of private owner
ship along the two lines, 15,497 or
which were in the Union Pacific and
:. 5O7 on the Oregon Short Line. IN
addition there we're 9S4 cars kept Tor
rent. The average carrying capacity
was probably five. While various other
reasons were assigned for the decrease
in passenger traffic experienced by the
western lines that year very large
proportion of the agents OF these roaas
mentioned automobiles as among the
important contributing causes. Out or
so replies from agents on the main llne
through Nebraska, II did not think
that automobiles had affected the
earnings, while SO said that they had
affected the local revenue, the estl.
mates as to the amount of the effect
VARYING from "slightly" to $50 per cent
Of the local sales" In Kansas out OF
* main line agents IA stated that the
short haul business was being serl-
ously affected by automobiles. In Colo
RADIO 16 out of u agents estimated the
effect from slight to one-third or the
lo, al business. In Wyoming "a out
Of 81 thought that automobiles mad mad
NO nerceptible effect on revenues, while
7 believed that their business was re-
auced. On the oregon Short Line the
general opinion was that the automo-
biles had not yet perceptibly Influenced
local traffic.
Cuts Station Receipts.
The reports stated that the owners
of machines used them to make snort
trips to neighboring towns, and carried
with them people who would otherwise
,se the trains. An agent at a small
town in western Nebraska said that on
Julv 4 he sold 1l2 tickets to Lodge role,
Nebr. and that fully as many persons
went in automobiles. AS the round trip
fare between these stations is Az cents
the company lost by automobile COM
petition S45 or $50. An agent at Br1gh-
ton. Colo, stated that automobiles were
affecting the local revenue at his sta
ton to the extent Of $3.50 a month. Inc
agent at Granite Canyon, Wyo., SAID
that six automobiles bought in his ter
ritory during the season, and his loca!
sales for June dropped 35 per cent. ana
that most of the ranchmen IN his Vlcln-
ty intended purchasing automobiles.
Reports from shippers showed that
manv houses had bought automobiles
FOR their statesmen. and that others con-
templated doing so. The agents who
found their station earnings affected
stated that mercial men were using
extensively, and often JOIN
I'd together In hiring them, hgur1ns