The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-10-10
=. F. farrell Tolls Of Santa Fe
Harmony Campaigns.
Moro Important Than Trans
portation Question.
ssTrouble Usually with Market
and Not with Freight Rates"

meeting Of the Brotherhood of the
Methodist Episcopal church at Ottawa
last night. His subject was THE Mis-
sion Of the Railway" He told the peo-
pie Of Ottawa about the Santa Fe and
its policy. its cooperation with the
persons along the system.
The mission Of the railway" the
speaker said, els to serve the public
q mission not unlike that of the news
paper. or the store. or the factory. Any
business man will admit that. the bet
ter he knows his customers the easier
1t is to do business with them. The
Santa Fe learned this great truth q
good while ago, and its officials strive
to increase their acquaintance among
patrons. Thus they are able to i'm
prove the relationship between the
company and the public, because the
personal contact, and good fellowship
which necessarily follows, give each
an opportunity to study the others
problems, and adjust differences in a
manner much more satisfactory than
| under the old system by which the
railroad official and the patron met
as strangers. Almost every difference
that comes up between q railroad and
| a patron can be ironed out when the
railroad man and the patron talk the
case over calmly, and in a spirit of
fairness
The Market Problem.
THE market problem is bigger than
the transportation problem" Mr.. Jar
rell said. For many years the people
| thought that the way to solve every
problem in life was to reduce freight
rates, Well, the rates have been re-.
duced about as far as they can go, il
the railroads are to be kept out of the
hands Of receivers. and yet the same
old problems confront US. Prices of
all commodities have scared lately
except freight rates. The people are
beginning to realize that freight rates
don't make SO much difference after
all. Many sins have been committed
| in the name of freight rates. When
crop prices are unsatisfactory, investi-
cation generally shows that the trou-
| BILE is with the markets, not with the
FREIGHT rates"
War Hits Railroads.
The speaker said that the increased
cost Of living as a result Of the Euro
pean war hit the railroads the same as
it did the people, but that the railroads
would suffer more than any other BUSH
and farmer pays more for the thing he
has to buy for the operation OF his
business including labor, that hee used
to pay. and he -evens up by raising
prices" the speaker argued. when
the business man seeks to adjust him.
self to the high cost Of living, nobody
objects. nor does he have to ask any
body's consent. He just slaps on q few
per cent increase. and let's it go at that.
But the railroad-that's different.
When it wants to raise the price of the
only thing it has to se1l-transportation
lit must ask permission from q COM
mission, and before the request can be
considered there is a protest from eve
rywhere against the proposed increase.
Increased cost Of construction. in
creased cost of operation, increased
cost Of maintenance. all ale admitted
facts. but the price of transportation
must not be changed. unless it be low
cred. This is burning the candle al
both ends, and soon there will be nc
candle. at the rate it is burning. The
Santa Fe. with it's IL 900 miles OF rail-
ploying 10000 people. II, I believe, re-
garded in Ottawa and generally
throughout the southwest as an i'm
portant concern. and its service to its
patrons is considered to be high class;
but the Santa Fee candle is burning al
, both ends the same as the candle
which represents the railroad industry
throughout the United States. Look
ing over a list Of more than q hundred
commodities used by the Santa Fee ]
was unable to find a single item that
few months. Railway taxes are going
up at rapid rate. The Santa Fe now
! is paying more than SIS. 900 a day il
taxes. And with all of our other trou-
BILE we are accountable to twenfy-eight
regulating bodies. to ray nothing Of the
various courts and innumerable MUM
, cipalitfes which occasionally take 8
. whack at US. The regulating bodies
are Is railway commissions. thirteen
terstate commerce commission
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