The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1915-12-24
AUSTRIA'S GOVERN.
MENT-OWNED RAILWAYS
F. G. r. Gordon


government railways the people Of
Austria are losing more than $50.
100000 annually.
In 1886 the Austrian government
showed itself bitterly opposed to the
building of railways, even by private
enterprise. Yet ten years later, the
government was both substituting and
building railways. At the end OF
1S4S, the government owned more
than half of the entire mileage One
year later the sale of these railways
to private interests was begun at, in
most instances, fifty cents on the dol
lar.
| In 1878 the Austrian government
owned less than IS miles of railways
Or about / per cent. Then came
the German specialization of railways
under the influence of which Austria
was again persuaded to plunge into
railways ownership
The norther railway system was
the last great railway taken over by
Austria, and it's is worth noting that
this, the greatest railway system in
the empire, had paid 121a per cent
dividends under private ownership
and had given excellent service to
the public. At present, under govern
ment ownership, there is large an
nual deficit that must be made good
by indirect taxation of all the people.
Moreover the service is anything but
efficient
Political influence is very strong
in the management of the Austrian
railways One proof of such influ-
ence is the over-staffing of the sys-
TEN. The private railways pay high
er salaries than the government but,
at least until recently, the wages of
the employees were about eight or
ten per cent higher on the govern
ment lines. At present, however, the
wages average pra, tically the same
on both. The minister of railways"
is cabinet official.
In 1907 the Vienna chamber of
commerce declared: Unfortunately
our railways have proved quite in
capable of coping with the great in.
crease of traffic" And in a supple
mentary statement this representa-
tive business organization went on to
say that the rolling stock was in
efficient; that there were not nearly
enough freight cars; that the man
agement was very poor; and that the
business interests of the nation were
crippled by the red tape of govern
ment ownership,
That conditions have improved lit
tie, If any, since the date of this COM
plant is proved by the fact that be-
fore the war there was an agitation
on the part of the business interests,
as we'll as some of the leading states
men, for a return to private owner
ship and operation. Under private
ownership good service had prevailed
and, as a rule, the lines had been
run at profit. Under government
ownership there are large and in
creasing deficits and the service is
exasperatingly poor. No one disputes
the fact that politicians have made
use of the railways to win votes. In
some instances they have even shown
themselves ready to build unprofit-
able lines to the end that votes might
be won for the party in power.
While there appears to be no trust
worthy method of ascertaining the
causes of accidents on the Austrian
railways, both private and govern
ment statistics at least show that the
private railways are from rs to 33
per cent safer than the government !
owned lines.
For the most part Austrian govern
ment reports make no distinction be-
tween private and public railways.
Therefore comparison is always diff |
ficult and sometimes impossible.
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