Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-23
SMALL PROFIT
HAULING coz
Transportation Faet
J ~:st p-~t3%shlA Rs.sS..>.a a
Of Railroad.
HIGHER RATES
ON COAL DESIRED
Increase Asked by Western Reads gsela
mated a. Increasing Cost to lndiSi
viduai consumsr s Cents Annually-
Empty Return Haul Decreases Net
Profits, Which Roads Declare Are
lnsuffieisnt-Array Of Figures.

chicago, March 23.-Hauling coal II
one Of the least profitable business
the railroads do.
Eugene McAulifre. general coal agsnn
of the ST. Louis & San Francisco rail-
road. so testified today at the interstate
commerce commissions hearing on the
petition of forty-one western railroads
for freight increases. The roads are
asking an increase on sort coal Of 7.sa
cents a ton from mines in certain states
west Of and including Indiana.
From this Increase Mr.. Auliffe testiA
fled the roads would be able to add
$1,226.122 to their annual income.
Tax Each consumsr 8 Cents.
Based on the populations In the
states affected. the witnesses said
each consumer would have to pay
about 8 cents a year more as o resulo
Of the increase.
G. C. Wright counsel for tho roads,
announced that the roads originally
had asked for an increase on hard coal
also. but owing to the inability Of thu
roads to prepare this item OF their
case. the rate increase would not bO
asked.
Mr.. McAuiiffe presented weight bills
of one years business on roads which
carry S6.5 per cent OF the coal origi>
mating in the territory.
Net Profits Are Small.
"The average weight haul" he said.
sis sos miles. while the average gross
revenue is $1.48 per ton under the
present rate. This yields 3.42 mills per
gross ton mile, while II 90 per cent oe
revenue is only 2.84 mills per gross tuIs
mile. =
THE average increase asked y 10,
cents per ton. which would add Sabout
one-fortieth Of one oent per net ton
mile to the cost OF hauling.
Including all roads affected the
total additional revenue per year wuul0
be 1925, 122. This represents IN ln-,
| crease OF only 5.3S per cent and woul0
entail an addition Of 5.37 cents pVe
capita yearly to the expenses 0f the
population in the states affected
Coal Traffic 10 epasmodie.
Mr.. McAuliHe testified that the ads.
vance of 7.s5 cents per ton applied In
Illinois, Indiana, Missouri. Iowa, Kan-s
sas. Arkansas and Oklahoma and from
western Kentucky and from AlabamA
to Iowa. Minnesota, Wisconsin. the
Dakotas. Arkansas, Louisiana. Texas
Nebraska and Oklahoma.
The popular nina as raurOe0
batter should be disabused of the tdeA
that coal with it's heavy carloads and
heavy trainloads Is necessity to
traffic. 1t Is often said coal should b0
hauled at any price and the roads
make it's profits on other products.
The coal traffic Is spasmodic.
Instead Of being adopted to filling
out our trains. it takes all our facilities
at the worse season OF the year."
Must Meet Abnormal Conditions.
Mr.. McAulifYe said the railroads must
carry enough potential transportation
ability to take care of abnormal con-
ditions in unusually cold weather and
must keep n great amount OF equip
| ment to take care Of peak in traffic
which lasts but three months a year."
ION one road alone the bituminous
| coal hauled amounted to $3.50 per cent
of the tonnage carried. yet this paid
but IL per cent of the total freight
| revenue" he continued.
Goal is not carrying its share of the
| burden for many reasons. First. there
| is an enormous empty haul, the percen-,
| age of empty cars to loaded cars being
nearly 100 per cent. Secondly. there is
! the tremendous spread of business.
| with states and courts demanding that
we be equipped for the maximum.
! Third. weather changes or impending
strikes may increase the necessity OF
| coal haul % per cent over night, and
ut the same time transportation facil-
tiles may be cut 50 per cent. yet We
! must meet the situation nrnmntly