The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1916-08-05

tits an achievement of AMERICAN INVENTIVE GENIUS.
Tits built to HAUL LONG TRAINS loaded with the products Of Amer
lean industry from the mines, farms, mills and factories to the markets
"a T. aT ths nU ndort ~ h;torv ~ AmsIcan indns+rai nroo-s., No
PIECE OF MACHINERY HAS PERFORMED SUCH SERVICE AS THE
BIG FREIGHT LOCOMOTIVE.
Freight is carried on our railroads at the LOWEST RATES IN THE
WORLD, while we pay our railroad workers the HIGHEST WAGES
IN THE WORLD a TON OF FREIGHT IN THE EAST IS CARRIED
THREE MILES FOR THE COST OF A TW0CENT POSTAGE STAMP.
Cheap transportation is one of the biggest builders of our prosperity.
The big freight engine with its enormous tractive power, the big steel
freight car with its great carrying capacity, and the heavy ais and
rock-ballasted roadbed to support the weight of the great engines and
heavy trains-these are the achievements of American industrial genius
which have given us low freight rates and broad markets, and have
enabled US to put our products in the markets Of the world in competition
with foreign manufacturers.
But now come wellmesning but shortsighted leaders of American
"sHoRTEN YOUR FREIGHT TRAINS 81 that the enginemen and
trainmen can haul the tonnage faster over the roads, and so make as many
miles pay in eight hours as they now dc in ten hours"
To the State Legislatures these same spokesman for the railroad work
"Pass laws LIMITING THE LENGTH OF FREIGHT rRA1Ns-we
To the Farmers, Manufacturer, and Merchants they say:
with shorter freight trains railroads can move your products faster
To the American Public that pays every dollar of the railroad bill
land a cents of every dollar paid for transportation is for wages,
cali that the railroads have to do to meet our demands for higher
wages is to shorten their trains, move the freight more rapidly and escape
the penalty Of overtime wages
What would be the result of taking these leaders of the $50, 900 train
employees at their wOrd-shoren freight trains o that they can be run
Increasing the number of trains to handle the same tonnage would
call for more employees to do the same work, more tracks, larger yards and
gestion Of traffic and greater hazards in train operation. Hundreds of mil.
lions a year would have to be spent by the railroads to increase their fadi-
ues ano To operate II plSeer plant.
IT WOULD BE AKIN TO USING HAND SH0vELS INSTEAD OF
FIvET0N STEAM DREDGES TO DIG A PANAMA CANAL.
American railroads have spent enormous amounts in reducing grades,
cutting down mountains and filling up valleys; in increasing the hauling
power of locomotives and the carrying capacity of cars; in putting down
rock ballast and heavy rails-all for one purpose, to lower the cost Of
operation.
It is the public that ha. reaped the beneat-in better and cheaper
railroad service.
If the railroads moved their tonnage in shorter trains at higher speeds,
the public, it is seen, would have to shoulder a great burden in the in
creased cost of transportation.
Would the public get value received for its money?
Of the tonnage on the roads east Of Chicago so per cent. consists Of
coal, coke, ores, stone and other mine products. To the public it is of no
consequence whether this freight is a few hours longer n the road, so
long as there is a continuous and regular stream of it coming to the
markets.
FoUR-FIFTHS OF ALL THE TONNAGE MOVING IN THE EAST
rs MADE UP OF LOW GRADE, SLOW MOVING FREIGHT, CARRIED
AT THE LOWEST RATES IN THE WORLD.
To abandon the big freight trains on American railroads in order to
increase the speed at which the bulk of the traffic moves, and thereby
enable the train employees to earn higher wages in shorter hours, would
place a great burden on American industry without giving the public
any tangible benefit.