The Washington herald., 1917-08-23
HOLLAND LETTER
The Biggest Daily
Financial News Feature of
the County's Best Newspapers.

President Fairfax Harrison, of the
Southern Railroad Company, who is
chairman of the railroad war board,
has recently authorized a statement
which contains an object lesson to
which legislators and the people who
pay heed after the exigencies of the
war have ended. President Harrison
has received reports which show that
the railroads of the United States
acting almost as a single unit, GER
tainly in full cooperation and cO-or-
dination. have been able to secure eX-
traordinary results in the improve
ment of freight car supplies. In three
months the railroad war board by
its cooperative methods reduced car
shortage so that upon August l, 1917.
it was only one-fourth as great as on
May l. 1917. This was accomplished
in spite of the fact that the railroads
handled in July an unprecedented
amount of government and of COM
mercial traffic.
The government itself. therefore,
through the aid given to it by the rail-
road war board has demonstrated
that the principle advocated by rail-
way managers based upon co-ordina-
ton and cooperation and in fact upon
pooling. is sound. If it be true that
results of this kind can be obtained
through cooperation Of the railroads
of the United States in few months,
although that cooperation is perfect
ed so as to aid the government, 1t
must be true that reasonable co-opera-
tion and coordination and reasonable
pooling regulated under government
authority will in time Of peace
f,,r Oh, hA nd ChinnpTg
of the United States with facilities
which they have not for a long time
enjoyed.
President Harrison saws that it is
the purpose of the railway managers
of the United States acting with the
approval and encouragement of the
government to put each car to the
greatest possible use, to have empty
cars placed where they are most need
ed, to prevent overlapping and un-
necessary service and in fact to make
the entire railway system of the
United States the most effective trans
Yortation agency in winning the war.
But il efficiency of this kind can
be thus secured to the great ad-
vantage of the government. there
is, in the view of Frank Trumbull,
no reason why it might not also be
secured under adequate govern
ment regulation to the advantage
of the business and commercial in
terests of the United States.
The recent declaration of the ex-
ira dividend of ten per cent upon
the stock of the Burlington Rail
way Company has been spoken of
as a fine vindication of the fore
sight and judgment which led
James ]. Hill, in association with
the late ]. ?. Morgan, to secure
control of the Burlington Railway
system. But it is also a vindica-
tion of the really marvellous fore
the mid forties, was the original
way system. When Mr.. Forbes be-
gan the construction of a railroad
extending westerly from Chicago
which he expected would be an ex-
tension of the Michigan Central
system, whose completion was due
to his energy and ability to secure
in Boston the capital with which
to complete the work, he forecast
an inconceivably great development
of the uncultivated and almost un-
inhabitated country through which
he planned the Burlington system
to run. He believed that in due
time trade and industry would fol-
low the rails and to such an extent
that the Burlington system would
become one of the most profitable
railroad lines in the United States.
Mr.. Forbes, after he had completed
the Michigan Central and diverted the