Las Vegas optic., 1914-08-21
is NOT PLEASED
With FREIGHT
ADVANCE
PRESIDENT OF THE SANTA FE
SPEARS WITH SOME
SARCASM

E. P. Ripley president of the Atch-
ison. Topeka and Santa Fe railway,
wIote the following article, which ap-
pears in the current issue of Traffic
World:
have only just received and read
the decision of the interstate COM
n.erce commission in the per cent
case. Having sufficient troubles of my
own" l have taken but a languid in
terest in the case and do not care to
20 into any extended review of it, es-
pecially as it seems to me that Com
missioner Daniels has sufficiently
punctured the majority report.
1t does not require 40 or so pages
of printed matter to justify the trivial
al ance that is granted Everybody
Who knows anything about 1t, knows
that the merchandise rates in central
traffic territory are ridiculous, and
the requested per cent is only a
fraction of what the advance ought
to be- 1t would not be difficult in
that territory to pick out thousands
Of shipments, the freight charges on
which are not equal to the actual
warehouse cost of loading and unload
ing. making no allowance either for
the hauling or interest on plant. The
reasons for this are partly chargeable
to the railroads, but largely also to
the various regulatory bodies.
Nor did it require so much space to
tell nc that the passenger business is
not profitable-we knew that already
but in fairness should it not also be
stated that there has been theory
advanced by our rulers, and to some
extent accepted, to the effect that the
transportation of individuals freely at
a minimum cost is a public necessity
and a service that ought not to be
expected to pay its full share of oper-
ating expenses? Our respected post
master general says that the United
States mail is such an integral portion
OF the state, and OF such necessity
that 1t ought not to pay on the basis
of other business. The commission
neglects to point out any way by
which passenger rates may be ad-
vanced in view of the prevalence OF
statute rates in the states
The talk about various methods of
saving, In expenses is platitudionus,
but uncouvincing to those of us who
are 'in it," If there is dishonesty
in purchases or improper connection
between business enterprises and
railroad directorates it is just like
any other kind of dishonesty and
should be punished accordingly, but
1t is not claimed that these charges
arc of general application-as a mat
ter of fact, they can safely be denied
as applying to any considerable num-
bers of carriers.
AS for free transportation, have
long been known as a radical, and,
personally, don't care how soon 1t is
abolished, root and branch, but the
figures given in the report as to the
magnitude of the losses it causes are
"just piffle;" most of the deadhead
mileage is that of employees on COM
pany business-much of the remain
der is that of persons, who, in the
absence of the free pass, would not
travel at all-and the amount of free
transportation given to those who
would otherwise pay fare is negligible.
The whole document brings forcibly
to my mind the saying of our old
friend, Sancho Panza:
whether the rock hit the pitcher
or the pitcher hit the rock, it is all
cne to the pitcher"
Here are lot of railroads who live
on present rates, to whom the relief
is Immediately inadequate, and the
commission, after IA months at an
expenditure of money totally out of
proportion to the Importance of the
case, gives them a fraction of the
fraction they asked for. accompanied
by sermon upon other and unrelated
matters, which are either impossible
of remedy or unimportant. Verify,
'the mountain has labored and
brought forth a mouse"