The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-04-10
Rail Lines Talking of Elimi-
mating Free Transportation.
RumOr i'm State Journal Has
Aroused Press of Country.
LAY IT TO FULL CREW BILLS
st. Louis and Chicago Papers
Blame Drastic Legislation.
Other Items of Interest In the
Traffic World.

The announcement in the state jour
nal a few days ago to the erect
that the Rock Island and Santa r z
railroad officials in Topeka were talk
ing of a proposed plan to abolish All
free TRANSPORTATION to employees mas
been taken up by railway officials anu
heads and throughout the press OF the
country The reports from the east
state that the action OF the raiiWaSs
is general over the country ana Is d
result of the full crew agitation De
fore the legislatures
The St Louis Globe-Democrat ana
the Chicago Evening Post today print
reports from these two large railway
centers
The articles follow:
st Louis GLOBE Democrat: Issuance
of free transportation to approximately
$500, 900 persons throughout the Uni
ted States may be eliminated by the
railroads as a result of the present
agitation in favor of full-crew bills In
various parts of the country. General
ayers of railroads in Colorado an
nounced recently that if a full-crew
bill. now pending in the legislature OF
that state, is enacted into law there
will be no more passes furnished 10
employees or members of their fam1-
lies. The contention $ made that full
crew legislation is being promoted by
the EMPLOYEES that it tends to in
crease the operating expenses of the
companies; that in order to meet these
increased expenses they must MAKE
savings in other directions, and that
the most feasible way to make them
would be to curtail free Transporter
ton.
In commenting on the subject, the
president of one of the large roads
said Yesterday: The effect of full
crew legislation is to make it neces-
sary to employ more men. and there
by to increase operating expenses Inc
net revenues of most railways are not
large enough to justify increases in eX-
penses in some directions which are
not accompanied by reductions in eX-
penses in other directions The elm
ipation of the issuance of free trans
portation to employees and their fanl-
lies seems the most feasible and sat
isfactorv method of meeting the Sltua-
ton -.
Chicago Post: The complete aboh-
ton of railroad passes of all classes
permissible under the interstate coih-
merce law and under state laws may
he the result of the movement in run
cyavr,, legislation and other burdens
being laid upon the railroads in va
rious Darts of the country. This ac-
tion. if adopted, will be made to IN
clude the free transportation OF ran
road employees and members or their
families 1t is estimated that S'5OOOOO
benefciaries of free passes on railroads,
and all of these will be eliminated II
concerted action is taken by the rail-
road mana gements.
The contention of the railroads is
that recent legislation and further
threatened legislation will so add to
the operating expenses of the ROADS
thai savings must be made in other
directions and that one OF these meth
ods will be to curtail free transporta-
ton. 1t is also contended that as en-
1,loyees of the roads are largely re-
sponsible for the enactment of the laws
which will increase the cost of run
ming the roads. they will have to help
in making up the deficit by foregoing
the pass privilege. Commenting on the
situation an official of one of the large
roads says:
THE effect of the fuIl-crew' and
other legislation is to greatly and I'M
necessarily increase the operating eX-
pense of the companies The net reVe-
nue. of most railroads is not large
enough to Justify this added increase
without economizing in other direc-
tons The elimination of free trans
portation to employees and their fam
lilies seems to be one feasible method
&c tho Situation