Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-06-03
Trains Nos. 7 and 8.

COIIlIIleutluS Ou tuC Otuci VI the
railroad commission requiring the
management Of the c. & NV. rail-
road to extend the operation Of trains
Nos. and from Bowling Green to
Chester, the Chester Lantern Of last
Friday has the following:
Secretary James H. Glenn Of the
Commercial club, Is today in receipt
Of copy of the formal order to the
Carolina & North Western railway
company by the railroad commission
Of South Carolina, commanding the
road to put into operation within thir-
ty days, "a double daily first-class
passenger service from Bowling, 8. c.,
to Chester, 8. c., and return" This
means, Of course, the extension OF
trains Nos. and to Chester, instead
Of operating them merely between Le-
noir and Gastonia. 1t also means q
much more convenient schedule for
passengers in and out Of Chester, and
1t was urged by several able takers
before the recent hearing in Yorkville
that It means much better trade for
the merchants Of Chester and York
Vile. This Is probably true. 1t was
contended by Colonel Nichols for the
road that the schedule which Is now
forced upon the road would mean
nothing but q loss Of real money every
day II was run. This also seems to be
true; Colonel Nichols knows his busi-
ness pretty we'll, and II he has ever
had the reputation Of being q liar we
haven't heard Of 1t. The substance OF
his statement is that the little road is
already staggering under heavy bur-
dens in its struggle for financial exis-
tence. and that the forced addition OF
an Improbable passenger train Is an
added and heavy burden In the shape
Of q constant loss and expense which
it can Ill afford to bear. No sensible
person can say that Mr.. Nichols has
no ground for this statement.
Now of course we are not railroad
ers; what we don't know about run
ming railroads would fill large volume
containing practically all the valuable
information upon the subject We be-
lieve that we do know this: The slow
but sure and steady growth Of the lit
tie G. & N.-W-the slow but constant
Improvement of it's equipment-the
building of a new little yellow station
at this place-the putting in Of addi-
tional sidings at that-the occasional
addition of a couple Of locomotives to
Its rolling stock-the Improvement In
Its general offices-every little item in
Its long uphill climb-all these are but
incidents in a long fight in which Mr..
Nichols and mis- assistants have left
no stone unturned: a struggle in which
they have had to use to the limit ev-
cry fair measure Of hard work and
economy. With any less than this re-
markable degree Of desperate energy
of constant and watchful economy
the Carolina & North Western would
long ago have landed on the trash-p pile
of bankruptcy, and stayed there.
Many people seem to think that any
expenditure Is possible with rail-
road; that somewhere behind the
roads management is an unknown but
also unlimited pile of bankable secur-
tiles. Managers Of roads know that
this is not the case; that every dollar
of the vast daily expenditure must be
earned in hard cash; and that 1t oper-
ates under-the ever-present shadow
Of a possible catastrophe which will
give the damage-suit attorneys their
chance to sweep six months profits
away; $4,000 for a broken finger; S.
900 for a wrenched ankle (be sure you
remember which ankle was hurt when
you go on the witness stand); Heaven
only knows what tremendous sum for
delays In freight deliveries or damage
to tender feelings, otherwise known as
mental anguish"
Now, the Lantern is perfectly well
aware that 1t leans toward an extreme
ly unpopular view in this matter. All
right; 1t Is not the first time this pa
per has done so with eyes wide open.
1t seems to US very possible that an
injustice has been done; and we are
not a little bit afraid to say 80. When
- 80 11a fon
thing, as in this instance, and the de-
cision is in the hands of gentlemen
whose jobs depend on votes, serious
injustice is apt to be done, no matter
how hard those gentlemen try to be
fair and impartial.
A well-known railroad man remark
d some time ago that since the labor
unions save the manager the trouble
of fixing wages, and the government
does all the work Of fixing rates, the
manager himself has little. to do but
sign the payroll at the end of the
month and explain to the directors
why there are no dividends. 1t Is to
be hoped that the new schedule will
not be so much of a loss as Mr.; Mich
OILS fears, and that the people all along
the line will remember, now it is to be
irfaugurated, that they have made
many promises Of increased patron
age.
That Is pretty plain talk in which
the Lantern Is indulging and we are
not prep, :. ed to say that it is altogeth-
er unwarranted.
So far as The Enquirer Is concern
ed 1t has not seen proper to take any
part in this agitation other than to
give publicity to the strictly news fea-
lures Of 1t. That Is because we have
been in doubt as to what is right, and
we are still doubtful. We recognize
the desirability of better passenger SER
vice over the C. & NV. in South
Carolina. Such first class service as
Is now being offered Is strictly first
class: but there is not enough of 1t to
give general satisfaction. Trains run
ming south in the morning and -orth