Connecticut western news., 1916-07-13
RIGGS IN CANAAN
Tells Why Railroad Has to Resort to 7. Billboard Advertising.

Billboard Advertising.
 MT. Edward G. Riggs, President Howard Elliott's right hand, visited Canaan, Thursday. in the interest of the executive department of the railroad, and incidentally to confer as to the date of the next banquet of the Bald. Head Club of America. tc be held in Hartford this fall-Mr. Riggs, by the way, made the star speech at last years banquet in Win sted. While in Canaan he called up President Elliott in Boston, who. on learning that Riggs was in Canaan, sent word that his own hair was get. ting so thin that he considered himself eligible for membership in the B. H. O. and his application was promptly ac. cepted.
 MT. Riggs was asked if the advertis. ing signs placed on the various stations of the Company had brought many protests from the esthetic element of the population. He replied that there was almost no protest, and gave the | following statement concerning the purpose of the advertising and the financial stringency that necessitated the innovations:
 "The Interstate Commerce Commits sion and Commissions generally have pointed out to railway managenents that they should not ask for increases in rates until they have exhausted all efforts to obtain revenue from every available source in order to increase the efficiency of operation. The New Haven has been able, in the last two years, to increase some rates, but many rates, particularly passenger rates. are far too low for the service rendered under present conditions of wages and heavily advanced prices of railway material. The company is trying to increase the efficiency of it's operation, but is limited in that respect by in. adequate facilities, and these can be improved only by the expenditures of large sums of money.
 After years careful investigation and thorough discussion of the matter, the company found it could obtain from S150, 900 to $250, 900 year by renting the advertising privilege. The company is frank to say it did not | getting money, but beggars cannot always be choosers. The subject was laid before the Board of Directors, who are unselfisbly working to try to inn prove the New Haven property and put it in better condition for the use of the public. While they did not want to adopt this method of getting money, on the other hand, as trustees for the public as we'll as for the security hold. CTS, the officers and directors felt, that for few years, they ought not to ignore this sum of money.
 "The company can. get out of this advertising privilege enough money to buy each year ten all.steel passenger cars; or to buy six big steam locomo. tives; or to put rock ballast on fifteen miles of double track; or to put in thirty miles of the most modern auto matic block signals; or to pay per cent. on $2, 300, 900 ot money to be spent for betterments and improve ments; or to pay 300 men for working on the maintenance of the track; or other improvements. ... t..-
 "The New Haven is not pioneer in this method of obtaining money. It is used in Europe very generally. It is used by the Long Island Railroad, which runs through thickly settled suburban district, by the Reading, by the Erie, by the inter.urban electric carriers everywhere, by parts of the Pennsylvania system, and by the city lines in Chicago, Boston, New York and other cities.
 "New England needs to prepare her railways for the future because its business, leaving out of consideration the so-called war trade,' increases at the rate of per cent. year. The population of New England increases per cent. decade. Railway facilities are inadequate at the present time to give the service New England should have, and the New Haven should work as fast as possible during the next five years to add to its facilities. The only way the company can do this is by spending money, and the company proposes to do so out of earnings as far as possible and by the sale of property, when they can get buyers, and, if possi. ble, by new borrowings, if the com- pany's credit can be sustained.
 "The situation is difficult. It would be much more satisfactory to the officers and directors if they could do a great many things they want to do In the way of perfecting the service, beautify- ing station grounds, adding to the prop erty, etc.. but they cannot do these things with the resources within their. control, and, in the interest of the future of New England, they believe they should exhaust every means of getting revenue in order to go on with the work of preparing the road for the future"
 South Africa's Hot Spring.