Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-12
RAILROADS SEE
TROUBLE AHEAD
Shippers Should Help Them Get
Fair Treatment, Says
Mr.. Dixon
By GEORGE DALLAS DIXON

l. more than $50. 900 miles Of them-are
being run as one continental system, under
the direction Of five men At Washington
whose word is law.
Since May / the railroads have carried
about % per cent more freight and II
per cent greater passenger trafIlc. not in
Guiding any Of the troop movements, thah
In the corresponding period Of last year. a
period which in itself broke all previous
records for volume Of traffic. They have re-
duced the unified car orders from 10000
to $4,000 cars in round figures The amount
Of express shipments handled almost passes
belief
We would never. by any chance, have
done all this as well as we have done 1t
had we not won the confidence Of the gen
eraI public and had our patrons not eI-
hihited and lived up to such a helpful spirit
Of cooperation.
Nor could we have done it II the railroads
had not been permitted to consolidate thelr
facilities into one great system, under UNI
fed control
We recently called upon the shippers OF
Philadelphia 10 go along with us IN inc
shipping g-day" or "sailing-date" plan for
the handling Of less-than-carload irelGh''
originating in this city. The plan has been
now working only a little over month";
vet il has already increased by nearly one
third the average amount " less-than-car-
load freight shipped per car out " Phlla-
delphia, and is saving upward Of 30 to
,.it a
As long as the war lasts YOU may expect
to see in our trains smaller proportion ot
parlor. club and restaurant cars ana Il
greater proportion Of day coaches. You
will also see smaller trains and fewer ot
them. and the sight Of people standing in
cars will not he as rare a sight as formerly
TO be perfectly plain about it, we have got
,o move the soldiers first Snd you second.
We have greatly reduced the number Of
restaurant ears which We operate, and have
virtually discontinued the use Of more than
one restaurant car in train We nave
cut down the number Of parlor cars and
seepcrs in use. We are able Ia carry more
people to a train and So reduce the num-
her or train units which we have to operate
congestion Of tracks and terminals, saves
fuel aud releases locomotives for freight
service and troop movements
Cannot Get Locomotives
To anticipate a thought. why don't you
get moro cars and locomotives" There are
two reasons In the first place. We haven't
the money. In the second place, if we
had IT, We couldn't get enough cars or
locomotives to do apprcciabe good for a
very long time.
The proper occasion to have allowed us
more money hope ! shall he pardoned
Tor suggesting was several years ago, he
fore the war started. Then We could have
provided the additional facilities that were
so plainly required. and We would he in
much better position nov to handle your
business and meet the Governments needs.
But the time / speak Of was before we
Americans had been taught what co-opera-
ton was
do not believe the public In general
realizes the situation that exists IN regard
to the supp'y or new locomotives. Many
persons have heard Of the enormous increase
in cost-how heavy engines that two years
ago sold for S25OO0 recently landed
$4,000 apiece-and no doubt think the
difficulty Of getting more is one Of price
only The truth OF the matter, however, is
that it has now become almost impossible
To buy new engines at any price. The rea-
son for thus is that the military eXigencies
Of ourselves and our allies require that ALL
or virtually all. Of the locomotives that
can he turned out in the lnlied states Shall
he sent abroad
And now the great question looms before
MS What is to come after the war? our
/ railroads are not financially able to take
| the steps they should be taking al this very
| moment TO prepare against the coming OF
| that day. Not only are we not expanding
| or strengthening our system physically. hut
| it is a grave question how long we can
! manage to continue maintaining them with
! out suffering palpable deterioration. We
/ have to face not only the practical impossi-
hiluy of renewing our motive power for
| some time. but also the increasing difficulty
! in obtaining sufficient labor to continue
! proper track and equipment repairs. To the
! general scarcity of labor is added the fact
! that the railroads are unable to compete in
! the labor market with the industries which
| are permitted 10 adjust the conduct of THEN
! business to the laws Of supply and demand
Will Need Money After War
! II seems to me- therefore. an Overwhelm,
| ing prohs bility that the close Of the wal
| will ind our railroads in urgent need oi
| large sums Of ready money to enable then
| to undertake the task Of readmstment tC
| the conditions Of peaceful commerce. Would
! it not he the highest foresight to be makinl
| provision now for the accumula ton OF suf
! hcient funds in the railroad treasures Il
permit this to be accomplished when tn,
| time comes?
The railroads in the eastern district. II
| the period from January | to July 81 rem
dered increased service which raised thei
! earnings S7S,5OO,O0O; but Il cost then
Sl17,6OO. 900 more to do il, and they wen
behind $39 100000 in net Obviously. tn
needed funds to enable the railroads l.
meet post -bellum conditions are not beinl
saved Can they be borrowed? The rail
roads have not the credit now to borroy
on terms that they can stand. DO 20
think they win have better credit II tn
end Of the war hnds them physically ru
down and their treasures depleted?
| OF one thing / am certain Had tn
! voices Of the shippers who provide the vas
bulk of the cOuntry's freight traffic pre-
vailed In the last l 5 per cent case, the rail
roads would have received every cent q
| additional revenue for which they aske,
I he