Putnam patriot., 1916-07-14
Ihe Nex HaYen's AdYertising Contract

The New Hayen's Advertising Contract
 The Interstate Commerce Commis. sion and commissions generally have pointed ont to railway arrangements that they should not ask for increases in rates until they have exhausted all
 available source in order 10 increase
 the efficiency Of operation. The New Haven has been able, in the iast two years, to increase some rates, but many
 rates, particularly passenger rates, are far too low fol the service rendered ] under present conditions Of wages and
 heavily advanced prices of railway material The company is trying te increase the efficiency Of is opefatioai
 but Is limited ia that fesp pect !, iaade quate facilities, and these can he i'm ptoved only by tbe expenditures of large sums Of money
 After years careful investigation and thorough discussion Of the matter, the company found it could obtain from I50,090 lo 51. .ge9 a year by renting the advertising privilege. The company Is frank 70 ssy IL Iid not want to avail ilseif of this method of getting money, tul beggafs cannot d. wnys be choosefs The sui ject was laid before the board of directors, who are unseiiisnly working 10 try 10 i'm
 prove the New Haven property and l put il in better condition Tor Gle Use Of l Che public. While they did not want to adopt this method Of getting money, l on the other hand, as trustees for the | public as Veii as for the security hold- [ CTS, the officers and directors felt, that i for few years, they ought not to ig- nore this sum Of money
 The company ean get out Of this ad- 9ertsing privilege enough money to buy each year ten all-steel passenger | ears, or to buy six big steam loeomo- | dves. or to pat rock ballast on fifteen | miles Of double track, or to put in thif 1 " miles of the most modern automatic 1 block signals, or to pay 5 percent on | = DUG, QUO of money to be spent for bet terments and improvements, or to pay | 800 men for working on the mainte nance of the track, or other improve | ments.
 The New Haven is not q pioneer in 1 this method Of obtaining money. It | is used in Europe very generally. It is used by the Long fslHnd Railroad, 1 which runs through 4 thiekly settled suburban district; by the Reading, by the Erie, by the inter ufbnn 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 9war trade, increases at the rate of percent a year. The pop ulation Of New England increases percent Il decade. Railway facilities are inadequate at the present time to give the service New England should have, and the New Haven should work IS fast ns possible during the next five years to add To it's facilities. The only wny the company can do this k by spending money, and the company proposes to do so out of earnings Is lar as possible and by The sale Of property, when they can get buyers, and, If pos sible, by new borrowings, II the com. pany's credit can be sustained.
 The situation Is difficult IL would be much more satisfactory to the of
 ieers and directors if they could do A great many things they want to do in the way Of peftecttng the service, beau tlfying station grounds, adding to the property, etc, but they cannot do these things with the resources within their control, md, 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 ol preparing the road for the 1 future.