St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1915-01-02
Bogalusa. La. Dec, %. 1914.

with a copy of the order and dec
sion of the Railroad Commission Q
Louisiana in the matter of the ar
plication of the New Orleans Grea
Northern Roailroad Company to dis
continue certain trains on the Shor
Line and the Bogue Chitto Branch
with the request that you .,ub1is.
the same in the next issue of you
paper.
There has been SO much discussion
of the action Of the Railroad Com
pany and of the Railroad Commissio,
In this connection, that think 1t i
only fair that the decision should
be published in order that the pub
lie may have knowledge of all tht
conditions which were considered b,
the Railroad Company in making thu
application and of the Railroad
Commission in granting 1t.
Yours yer ytruly,
B. NJ. MILLER.
Railroad Commission Of Louisiana
Order No. 1848.
New Orleans Great Northern Rail.
road Company. ex parte. In re
temporary reduction of passenger
service on Shore Line and BOgue
Chitto Branches.
The New Orleans Great Northern
Railroad Comapny on October 5th.
1914, filed with this Commission ap-
plication for permission Nto discon-
tinue trains numbers 21 and %, op-
Grating between Folsom and North
Slidell, Louisiana. on what is known
as its Shore Line, and trains numbers
81 and 50, operating between Rio,
Louisiana, and Tylertown, Missis-
sippi, on the Bogue Chitto Branch,
and also trains numbers Is and Is.
between Rio and Bogalusa, these be-
ing the same as trains 80 and 81,
taking these different train numbers
between Rio and Bogalusa.
Before the case was heard. the
application was amended as to in
clude the discontinuance Of trains
33 and "a, instead Of trains 81 and
81, as the Commission might de-
termine.
Accordingly, full Investigation
has been made by the Commission,
in which the people have been given
an opportunity to present fully their
views to the Commission. and In
which the company has been reQuir-
ed to furnish the Commission with
the fullest statistical data regarding
the financial and operating condi-
tions of its Louisiana lines.
It is unnecessary for us to review
in detail the figures which have been
presented; it sufices to say that we
are convinced that the New Orleans
Great Northern Railroad Company is
entitled to the relief It seeks.
Before this action by the Commits
sion became necessary, the company
has by every means within its power
reduced its operating expenses to the
point beyond which they cannot be
further reduced exceE1 by the discon-
tinuance of some Of the trains which
It nov operates. The freight service
10 automatically curtailed as the
freight business falls off. Passenger
trains, however. are operated on
their daily schedules, irrespective OF
the amount qf business they handle.
1t is shown by the evidence that the
na4 never been able to pay
a dividend ron its capital stock, be-
cause its Surplus has been used in
necessary improvements, and
in the upkkeep Of its property. The
company's properties have been kept
in god condition, and the opera
ton OF The road has been satisfactory,
its ser.:eo tn all respects having been
perfo'med without complaint to the
Commission. In economy OF opera
ton the New Orleans Great North
ern5 r ailroad has stood third out of
thEty-seven railroads operated In
tie territory south Of the Ohio river. |
b The principal tonnage CT this COM
rany is logs and lumber. Practical
y eighty per cent Of the saw mill
industries along the line have sus-
pended operation since the outbreak
of the European War; and the re-
manning mills have curtailed their
operation to q large extent. The
saw mill industry is the principal
M. dstry on the New Orleans Great
Northern Railroad. Following the
Of the operation of the saw
mills, passenger traffic has fallen OIL
to such material extent tnat the pas
sen ger trains which are now operat-
ed are practically all operated at a
loss.
It is fully recognized by the Com
mission that the curtailment OF pas
senger service always results n m
convenience to some portion OF the
public; hut the Commission cannot
rs mere matter of convenience re-
9uire this railroad to do that wnicn