The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1914-02-25

nation ready TO hand; indeed, "nt
form OF business in the United
States is conducted SO openly. ant
in none are the facts and figures SC
available
Like. all other railway presidents
IMr. Elliott calls attention to tn,
fact that on all important questions
but one, the railway owner is direct.
ed by acts OF Congress and by State
Legislatures. and by the orders Of
commissions and bureaus. The on,
question In which he has full say Is
that Of finding the money to pay the
bills! In order to make clear what
this interference with the details OF
management really means, Mr.. Ell
iiotts gives the following illustra-
ton:
Suppose. for example, that men
are engaged in the business of haul
ing freight of all kinds from the
waterfront to the various parts of a
city. The owners and chief mana
gers are doing the best they can to
deliver coal, merchandise, and other
freight promptly and cheaply,
though every pound must be hauled
with difficulty over slippery streets
and up heavy grades. Suddenly,
however, a large number of men APP
pear and begin to tell the owners
and managers how to run their bus
mess. None of these men have any
financial interest in the business of
transporting merchandise by wagon,
and few of them have any practical
knowledge of it.
One says, L have been looking
at your wagons, and the beds are
not the right height from the
ground, and you must change them.
I notice also that the steps are put
on wrong and the buckles of your
harnesses are not of the right char
acter. You must fix these things
Another man says, The lanterns
your teamsters carry are not suita-
BILE. You must buy much more en-
pensive kind and see that they are
carried whether they are needed or
not.
Another says, You must not use
certain lead horse any more. be-
90 hx 10 ,,t ettft TOD 10 h..
ness.
Another says, I noticed that you
were carrying q calf en- one of your
wagons. In such cases you must get
your wagon from the waterfront to
destination within an hour, and il
must be moved at a speed of not
less than ten miles per hour.
Another says, In our part of the
city your wagons must not move fas-
ter than four miles an hour, and you
must stop them at every street
crossing
Another says, The city authori-
ties have decided that you must re-
duce all your charges twenty-five
per cent
And still another says, L repre-
sent a committee that has decided
that your sheds and barns are not
of the right type. and you must tear
them down and build new ones
Meanwhile some of the stable
men and others have come to the
managers and owners saying that
they have decided not to do any
more work unless their pay is in
creased twenty-five per cent.
Naturally the owners and their
managers are somewhat confused
and discouraged
1t is grave question, claims Mr.
Elliott, whether the railways can
continue to meet the demands of the
people and be the efficient instru-
ments that they should be if. while
they are owned by private individ-
uals, in all important matters OF
management except finance, they are
practically directed by Government.
al authority. He adds:
II do not wish to be understood
as meaning that there should not be
supervision and regulation of the
great public service corporations. :.
do. however. want to make a plea
that, coupled with restraint and con.
troll, there should be protection tC
the owners of the securities. The
commissions, both State and Ma
tional, naturally feel the great
pleasure of the millions of users o.