The Washington times., 1917-12-11
LIGHT EQUIPMENT.
UNIFIED SYSTEM,
URGEDFORROADS
tcontInued from FIrst PaEe.l

how to run engines, machines, diG
tunnels, and design better equipment,
For the last decade railFeSd presi-
dents and even operating ofheiAis
/ have been talking like their bAnksf
managers about increases In freight
rates and security values, instead Of
devoting their thought and eneTgiOB
to eliminating waste and improving
equipment.
Passenger trains weigh 50 to lBo
times as much as the passengers In
them. A Pullman car Weighing e0,-
900 to $4,000 pounds averages less
than 1000 pounds Of passenger load.
Lighter EquIpneaL
Heavy cars require heavy engiHss,
more coal, heavier bridges, heaViar
rails, greater strains in starting and
stopping, and result In increases
waste and depreciation.
"Four-ifths of a railroads work to-
day is hauling the dead weight Of Its
own wastefully heavy engines and
cars. This is why railroad prssidentS
have such a hard time to nEure out
freight and passenger rates high
enough on the 20 per cent Of live load
to cover the cost of hauling this
enormous so per cent OF dead weight
| around.
who would carry home 25 pounds
Of flour in a IoO-pound market basket
Increases Do Net Ala.
See how light and strong nature
makes q birds feathers or the spiders
! thread. It was never intended that
man should make common steel Of
low tensile strength.
: Mature has distributed alloy ma
Z NGW faNa N~k
make steel of 10000 or 1000
pounds tensile strength, instead OF
$4,000 pounds, and then the weight
can be cut down proportionAtely. Al
| 10y steels Of high tensile strength cut
down the weight OF the truck and
automobile.
~ new motto-Service-m be
adopted by the railroads. Constantly
appealing for 10 per cent increases to
protect stocks and bonds does not
solve our transportation problem.
America iS q land OF great dis.
tances, and cheap, easy travelling and
efficient, inexpensive freight service
are necessities. Our greatest asset
is our market OF 100000 people.
ITO make one model in great guam
titles Is the best way to manufac-
ture. Such standardized manufacture
for a broad market makes possible
high wages, low prices 70 the con-
sumer, and prosperous industry.
HiEh Rates Harmful.
High freight rates are . barrier to !
standardized industries producing tor
wide market
IL costs hardly one dollars worth |
Of coal more to run q passenger train |
~iti It's seats fIled than half empty. |
To get more revenue the banker
mind tries to raise rates. The new |
snIrIt of service reduces the rates
and permits great numbers Of people |
TO ride and thereby increases Its
earnings.
the paying power OF the mil. millionr
mast railroads have helped conGeBt
non,IIatIon in great terminal cities. |
This may pay big dividends, but |
banking men and industries in great
cities does not make q healthy ma
tion.
roads where there ought TO be one. |
In other place. there is open land
without railroads.
Population should be more even. |
" distributed over our land. We
must unity our railroads into q sin |
gle national system whose frst pur-
pose is TO give transportation ser
vice.
Autos VIII HslP.
bookkeeping cannot solve this
problem. A management with . na-
tionsI policy that knows what It
wants, that can make steel, run en-
gines. dig tuneIs, that can keep the
peoples Interest before local or per- |
sonal interests, is what we need.
such railroad leadership must be
protected against polItica and wire |
pulling. The Dement'S from such
policy will be 80 great that all the
money that have been put into the |
railroads in an honest way can easily |
be paid on.
ITO supplement our railroad sys-
TENS we can build concrete roads
that will last hundreds Of years with |
low upkeep charges,
In the country so per cent OF the |
road hauling is done on 20 per cent
OF the highways. II this 20 per cent
Of the roads Is rebuilt OF concrete,
trucks and automobiles will take
over much OF the short haul business |
krIn~ I.nA anA rffu nAaRaR ia /