Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-30

for it.
Their property seems to have cost
them $43,747 per mile and they have
large bonded Indebtedness about SPA
100000, and / find that nearly all the
savings banks of Maine are holders of
large amounts of these securities.
which shows that the people of Maine
have contributed very generously
toward the building of this road. That
the road is operating in a growing and
prosperous country. no one can doubt.
That receives what is considered BY
shippers and the travelling public a
large price for its transportation OF
freight and passengers. is generally
believed.
The Maine Central Railroad Co,
contemporaries 1905 miles of railroad
in our State, and earns $10,643, $40, am
nually. and practically does all the
railroad business of the State, except
that which is done by the B. & A..
and the little by the Canadian Pacific
and the Grand Trunk, which cross our
State, on the north and west
AS every one knows, the Maine Cen.
ltral Railroad is a consolidation of n
great number of other railroads, which
We're originally built as individual and
local enterprises, as has been the Ban
gor & Aroostook railroad The main
line of the Maine Central railroad
may be said To run from Portland to
Bangor. with many lines situated like
| that of the b. & A., running northerly
and easterly into the sparsely settled
sections of the State, where the traf
fic is similar to that which the E. &
A. has, and which it turns over in q
great measure to the Maine Central
railroad at the Northern Maine Jet.
Now, the object of a railroad is to
give the best service for the trans
portation of freight and passengers at
the lowest possible price. The cost of
this service depends largely upon the.
operating expenses. The Maine Cen
trail railroad, as | understand 1t, pays
It's help what is called and known as
standard wages on all the lines it
operates. The B. g. A. r. r. does
not. From this fact alone, undoubt-
edly the controversy which now ex-
lists between the b. & A. r. r. and it's
engineers and firemen gets its start.
The report above referred to shows
that the engineers on the b. & A. re-
ceive an average of 1898 a day for
the year, while those on the Maine
Central receive $449 a day. that the
hremen on the IS. & A. receive 81 AZ a
day, While those on the Maine Central
receive S2.S0 a day for the year. Many
nj these men meet daily at Northern
Maine Jet, some of them live~undoub-
tedly side by side in Bangor, and are
subject to the same expenses for ne
cessities and comforts of life.
me same report shows that the
general officers of the B. & A. receive
an average for the year of S3434 a
day, while those of the Maine Central
receive only $19.19 q day; that other
officers of the 3. & A. receive SILL
day, whereas the same officers of the
Maine Central receives only $3.50 a
day; that the clerks in the offices of
the Bangor & Aroostook receive 81.
whereas those of the Maine Central re-
ceive only $2.92. These are all pub
lished facts by these railroads. .s!,.
afI.also find that the salaries paid to
the, general officers, other officers and
clerks of the Bangor & Aroostook
amounting to 1856. s9214 whereas the
amount paid their engineers, firemen
and conductors for the same year., ac-.
i cording to said report, amounted to
but $21S, 1873 In other words, the
general expense for operating the Ban
gor & Aroostook railroad, according to
their own report, in comparison with
that CT the Maine Central railroad,
according to its report for the same
period, shows very heavy burden
placed upon the former company from
lis general operating expenses, eonsid-
ering the volume of business done by
1t. And it seems pity that the peo-
pie of Maine, particularly those of
Aroostook county should have to con-
tnue to pay the very high rates which
they are now paying for the trans
portation of freight and passengers.
ana that the help which does the work
should receive wages so much smaller
than those paid to the employees who
are doing Il like kind of work on the
Maine Central railroad.
For this condition of affairs. there
arises the inevitable suggestion that
there is greater economy and / think
as rule more satisfaction, in a great
volume of business done under one
IA
flahagement, made efficient and
strong, and consequently by reason of
great value more economical.
1t seems q complete justification of
the consultations which have been
made. from year to year, resulting in
the present Maine Central system, and
OF which the public has always been
SO suspicious and the press so critical.
asked in my inaugural address that
the Legislature provide a public SER
wee commission or court TO regulate
the affairs of the public service com
panies, including the railroads. If the
Legislature will only give us such an
act. full and complete, one that will
governor all conditions of controversy
and trouble, between the public to be
served and the company serving the
public, the people may then become
complete masters of the railroad sit
uation through complete and perfect
consolidation of the strong with the
weak, which in itself is most nat
ural equalizer of business The money
which the people have contributed for.
the building of these properties, en-
Titles them to reasonable rates for