The Washington herald., 1917-10-23
AID RUSS ROADS,.
why NOT U. S.?
Holland Points to Contrast
In Governments S Help
of Carriers.

lucTc are 70 Dc
to Russia. probably by way OF the
Pacific, an equally large number OF
highly expert railroad builders as
well as railroad operators
These experts are to go to Russia
for the purpose Of rebuilding badly
worn Russian railroads and also
constructing new lines as well as
improving terminal facilities TO the
end that Russia, by and by can
with greater facility aid the allies.
American BuIIt First Road.
Few now recall the interesting
history which tells us of the work
done by an American engineer in
constructing the hrst important
railroad in Russia. He was Capt.
whistler, the engineer. who. when
Baltimore was considering the best
method OF otfsetting the competi-
tion for the commerce of the Ohio
Valley and the Mid West which the
opening of the Erie Canal made pos
sible. was summoned to Baltimore
by Alexander Brown and other pub
lic-spirited citizens and instructed
to lay out a route for railroad
from Baltimore over the Blue Ridge
20 u point on lh6 OnlO INlNcI.
Afterward Capt. whistler was
summoned by Boston capital to
Massachusetts, and instructed to
solve q very difficult problem of
that day which the construction OF
q railroad over the Berkshire Noun
tains to Albany entailed.
Called by Gar.
While Capt Whistler was engaged
in this work q commission sent by the
Car of Russia to the United States
visited him. and was so greatly i'm
pressed by the skill which he showed
in building what became the Boston
and Albany Railroad. that they urged
him in the name of the Gar to go to
Russia to build an air line railroad
from Petrograd to Moscow.
Capt. Whittier accepted this offer and
carried out the instructions of the
Gar to the letter. The railroad be-
came famous, and, from that day to
this, Russia has esteemed American
railway authorities. so far as con-
struction and operation of railroads
are concerned. the best in the world
Partly on account of the tradition
which still prevails in Russia of the
SUCCESS OL american railway
there and partly because Russia could
turn to no other country for securing
financial assistance, nightly skilled
artisan labor and railroad equipment
and supplies. an appeal was made to
the government at Washington to fur
nish men. supplies. equipment and in
railway system could be in a compara-
lively short time well reconstructed
and adequately expanded.
The government at Washington was
in such complete sympathy with Rus
sia so far as railroad improvement is
concerned and so thoroughly recog-
nized the necessity for such improve
ment of that kind. il Russia were
again to become an important factor in
the triumph OF the allies, that it
warmly favored the extension of a
credit to Russia of nearly 800, ,OOO. 600.
This money was to be used exclusively
In improving the Russian railroad and
in building new lines as far as that
was possible.
Strange Comparison.
The attitude of the government to-
ward Russia with respect to the rail
road situation there has entailed not
the slightest criticism. 1t has met
with public approval On the other
hand there is strange contract be-
tween the attitude of the government
and the attitude of legislators toward
American railroads and the position
taken by the government in respect to
the Russian railroad.
It is sometimes thought that one or
the best explanations for the decline
of values in the securities market and
certainly for the decline in the mar
ket quotations for railroad securities
is to be found in the actual impasse
in which the railroads of the United
States are now placed.
Frank Trumbull. who has served for
some years as chairman of the COM
n1ittee Of railway managers which was
formed for the purpose of carrying on
a campaign of education whereby the
true relations of the railroads to the
people and Of the people to the rail-
roads could be learned, said recently
that anything which will help raihoad
credit as whole will also help gov
ernment financing.
How Can Help BE Obtainedf
But how can this help be obtained?
The railroads Of the United States
whose efficient work since the first OF
April has been one of the most re-
markable Of the striking phenomena
occasioned by our entrance into the
war, were compelled to pay nearly
two hundred and ten million dollars
more Tor operating their roads be-
tween January first and July first
than they paid in the first six months
Of the previous year
This Increased cost was partly due
to the vast demands made by the gov
ernment upon the railroads for serv-
ices. 1t was, however, chiefly due to
the great increase in operating costs
50 That while the railroads as a whole
on account of greatly increased trans
portation earned gross many millions
more than they ever earned before
this increase was more than offset bv
the very great increase in the cost Of
equipment supplies and also increased
wages.
The best authorities are persuaded
that the railroads cannot continue
much longer to earn gross receipts
and to suffer enormous decreases in
net revenue. Investors are apparently
OF that opinion, and that is one of the
resions why the securities which rep
resent the railroads are constantly
depreciattng in market values.
Something must be done, for, eager
as railway managers are to serve the
government, nevertheless they are
more than eager for assistance which
Will aid them in continuing moderate
dividends or in preventing possibly
receiverships
Many think this Is the most impor-
liant Industrial issue for the govern
ment now TO consider.
HOLLAND.
CT