Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1913-01-03
FREIGHT DELAY
INEXCUSABLE
Commissioners Prouty Criticises
B. & M. and New Haven.
LOSE 4 OUT OF 100 PARCELS
Send Five Engines to Scrap Heap Ev-
cry month.-Ninety q. & Nj.
Engines Found Useless Dur
ing Past Year.

Boston-H. J. Horn, operating vice
president of the New Haven and the
Boston C Maine railroads, testifying
before Chairman Charles A Prouty of
the Interstate Commerce Commission
at the Federal building, said that
there was no question among the su-
pervisory officers of the two railroads
as to the desirability of improving
the freight service on these two
roads.
Chairman Prouty told Mr.. Horn that
he saw no excuse for the admitted
fact that four out of every 100 pack
ages of freight handled on the sys-
TEN go astray to the extent of being
missed for several days.
Mr.. Horn was testiying as to his
efforts to improve the locomotive SER
vice on the Boston & Maine. Chair
man Prouty had asked him how many
Boston & Maine engines were being
"scrapped" or discarded. Mr. Horn, in
facetious spirit had replied that he
would scrap Boston & Maine engines
:as fast as the Interstate Commerce
Committee would finance the acquisi
ton of substitutes.
We're not financing anything, Mr.
Horn" replied the chairman. What
I want to know is how many engines
you are sending to the scrap heap?"
Mr.. Horn said that he had sent go
Boston & Maine locomotives to the
scrap heap in the last Is months. He
was sending them there now at the
rate of five every month.
Chairman Prouty made other criti
cisms of the management. After hear.
ing testimony that M. I. T. students
had made investigations of freight
terminal congestion in Boston, the
chairman told Mr.. Horn that the man
agement itself should make such in
vestigations.
at doesn't do any harm to have
these boys do such work, and probably
they enjoy it," observed the chairman
"but you ought to follow these
things down yourself Then, when
you find out what the troubles are
and, if they arise from incompetent
help, you can stop them, even If you
have to pay your employees more mon
oey."
Prof. Harold Pender of Tech told Of
the investigation by students at his
institution. After reports by these
students, the institute chose man tt
continue these investigations. This
man is being paid by the railroad
companies and his work is not yet I'm
ished.
Mr.. Fender said that the inyestiga
ton showed that the greater part o.
the freight delivered by shippers
wagons and the greater number o
wagons calling for freight arrived a
the terminals between and O'Clock
In the afternoon, or during the las
hour of the working day. This, o.
course, was a handicap to the rail
road companies.
Mr.. Penders testimony included
the statement that teamsters calling
for freight spent 81 percent of thei
time searching for their goods. HI
said that he was now at work on thu
problem of solving this slow deliver.
and that it had been suggested that ;
scheme of employing motor trucks t.
get freight to and from terminals b.
employed This motor truck schem
might include operation by a privat
company or by the railroad compan
les. Such a plan, it is believed, woul'
bring about a reduction in the cos
of handling the freight at terminal
and would speed up the service.
Vice president auckland, who is ac'
ing as counsel for the railroad com
panies at this point, asserted that tn
companies were Cup against it" il
their efforts to extend terminals an
to get shippers and receivers to han
die their freight more promptly.
Mr.. Horn gave the average SEIZED
uled speed of freight trains on tn
Boston C Maine and the New Havel
as ten miles an hour for through
freight trains and six miles an hou
for way or local trains.