The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-04
HANDLE FREIGHT
JUST like MAIL
next R. R. MOVE
+. c. Fox Believes Government
viii Take This Action.
No More Scramble by Roads To
Get Patronage.
GEkTRALIzE DEPOT BUSINESS
Passenger Travel Also May Be
Greatly Restricted.
Let Only Those Who Have
Business Ride Trains.
CENTRALIzE DEPOT BUSINESS
Passenger Travel Also May Be
Greatly Restricted.
Let Only Those Who Have
Business Ride Trains.

Transportation of freight under the
same policy as in the distribution of
mail was seen today by F. c. Fox,
general manager for the Santa Fe
railway, as the ultimate result of gov
eminent supervision of railroads.
Merger of all lines into one unit would
do this, the Santa Fe official declared.
The government will route freight as
it routes mail. by the most expedient
route the shipper having nothing
more to do or say about it than to get
the commodity to the depot
Fox also forecast restriction of pas
senger travel if as many trains on
western roads are eliminated as Chi
cago reports indicate will be.
There must be some way of judg-
ing who shall travel and who shall
not" he said. IF such a policy is
placed in effect the man who wants
to go somewhere for nothing in par
ticular won't go. Those who have i'm
portant reasons for travelling must get
the preference.
Down at Kansas City the other
day there were several out-of-town
people returning from an entertain
ment. There are hundreds of thou
sands of people who travel every year
just for pleasure.
Trains Crowded Now.
Every day our trains. just as they
are run, are crowded. During the
holidays people stood up for miles and
miles, something l don't like to see.
1T isn't problem of can this be
done. It's a question of whether or
not it will be done, and anything can
be done in this day and age if the
thing is given enough thought
Government control is going to
squeeze that independent feeling
out of the public. Under the old pol
icy a man calls up the ticket office and
asks if his train is on time. He is
told. If the roads are made great
unit then thisNman will go to the de-
pot to see if his train is on time just
the same as he would go to a general
delivery window to see if letter mad
arrived. If a man wants to travel, he
will have his route specified for him,
instead of choosing it hipself. The
same thing will apply to a shipper.
Now a railroad runs rings around it.
self to get his business and to see that
freight is delivered.
Cut Out DcpOts.
"Under the tentative system the
shipper will take his freight to the
depot and the roads will transport it
over the route it chooses. He will
also go to the depot to find out if the
freight has arrived
ALSO the government might say
that one depot is enough for two
roads. say the Santa~Fe and Union
Pacific in Topeka.
''All these things if attempted by a
railroad today on its own initiative
would result in some othe road get
ting the business. Yet it would be
possible with the roads as a unit un-
der government control"
No orders eliminating trains or cut
ting schedules were received by any
railroad offices here today. A meet
ing of executives with all roads rep
resented is being held in Chicago in
reference to the problem.