Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1915-01-07
Kansas and the Railroads

II IA n strange fact, but nevertne-
less true, that in times past the peo-
.ple of the average state have not re-
garded their railroads as an INDUS
try"-and yet. next to agriculture
there is not single central or west-
.ern state in which the railroads 90
not nav out more money for LABOR
and supplies than does any otner
single enterprise, however large. we
brag about our fertile farm lands ana
rejoice that our cities are filled with
big factories with big pay roiiS
which create market for farm pro-
ducta-but we forget that more
workingmen's families depend upon
the railroad for a living than upon
any other one industry in either tne
average state or the nation and that
the,r welfare is therefore closely
linked to that of the farmer ana the
merchant-not merely because they
Furnish him freight and passenger
service. but because the millions they
,disburse In one way and anotner
contribute tremendously to the pros
Derity OF the state in which we IVe'
Thus, for instance, the railroads.
~ the largest taxpayers in the state
OF Kansas. While the returns are not
entirely complete for 1914, the ran
road taxes of the year just closed
can safely be estimated at SS'foO'-
0oO-and this tidy sum did its fuu
share to support every public school,
highway, and to help meet every
other revenue expense Of the state
The railroads of Kansas were tax
ed in 1914 ON properties valued at
1884. sO4, 955-money which in years
gone by was invested in these great
ARTERIES of commerce by thousands
.of men and women who live all over
the United States and in EUROPE
and without whose financial assist
ance the wonderful progress OF our
nroud commonwealth would have
been impossible.
During the year ending June 3d.
1914. the railroads Of Kansas en-
ployed 47,s9S men and paid out 10
them in salaries $29,589, 16O-and
these millions did their full share to
create a market for Kansas farm
products and to uphold the volume
.of business of Kansas grocers, cloth
;ers. drv goods men, and others VINO
depend upon public patronage.
During the year 1914, the railroads
Of Kansas paid out nearly $5,OOO'Ooo
for coal-and the lions share OF TINS
went to Kansas miners, of whom the
railroads are by far the largest
patrons. So, too, in an average year
they consume more than forty MIL
lion gallons of oil.
In other words, when the people
Of Kansas look at their railroads N
the light of an industry-when they
look at the figures on the other sioe
Of the ledger-they will find that
not only do the railroads return to
them in one way and another prac-
tically every dollar they collect with
in the state for freight and passen-
0er service, but that a number Of
tines are actually doing this business
Fl At a loss, while with others the mar
gin of profit is so small that it does
MT begin to pay fair return upon
the invested capital, upon which they
nav a higher rate of taxation to the
state than does any other form OF
private property.
In this connection, we wish to d.
press for a moment to quote some
statistics which should have had
Mace in a former article. 1t costs an
average of mills per mile to haul
a ton of freight in the United States
whereas in England it costs 2.SS
/ cents, in Germany 1.42 cents, and in
France 1.41 cents. In the United
states the average wages paid to
railroad employees are $2.2s pei
day, in England $1.15, and in Ger
many and France not over 81 pei
day. The English railroads are CAPT
talized at 900 per mile. in
France at $4,000 per mile, in Ger
many at s114,1S5-while in THE
United States the stock and bond
capitalization averages only $4,000
per mile. In view Of this remarkable
comparison, do American railroads
deserve the wholesale denunciatior
which has been heaped upon them?
Losses on Passenger Traffic
In the application recently filed By
the Kansas lines before the STATE
pnblic utilities commission for res