The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-09-03
GOVERNMENT RUNNING
OF THE RAILWAYS
A Reply to Critics By Theodore H. Price,
Who Is Now Actuary of Rail
road Administration.

The critics of railway operation under
government management have been an
swered in statement recently issued by
Theodore II. Price, who is now actuary to
the United States railroad administra.
ton at Washington.l
Mr.. Price briefs the grievances Of the
various compliments as follows;
l. The advance in freight and passen
ger rates.
2 The abolition Of the through bill Of
lading for export freight and the cancel
lation of export and import rates.
g. The dismissal Of solicitors who 'took
an interest in the handling of the traf
fic" and the consolidation of freight and
ticket offices.
4. The withdrawal of the credit pre-
yiously allowed in the matter of freight
charges, which must now be paid before
or upon the delivery Of the goods unless
the consignee gives bond that will pro
tect the government,
5. The difficulty of getting information
regarding tariffs and rates.
8. The discontinuance of the package
car service between important jobbng
and consuming sections.
7. The withdrawal of the shippers
right to route their freight as they chose.
Mr. Price also quotes the following edi-
torial from prominent daily news
paper
"We have now some details as to the
first five months of government operation
OF the railways; and while it is far too
soon TO pass any judgment, two facts
/ stand out very strongly and are worthy
Of note.
"The first is that in these five months,
on the face of the figures. the roads car
ried slightly less ton mileage than in
1917. This, in spite of the tremendous
pressures of war and of the known in
crease in many lines Of production, is
certainly very significant. Extra traffic
has been carried in other ways, largely,
as we know, by motor trucks.
THE second fact is that the number Of
available locomotives and cars remained
practically the same as in the first part
Of 1917. There Was no increase. The
roads were taken over for their supposed
inefieency But the government, with
all its money and power, has found il
easier TO acquire experience than to in
creases the efficiency Of the railroad ma
chine
after five months of unlimited credit
and power there is no increase in cars or
locomotives, or rail movement, or ton
mage hauled. To move their increased
traffic the industries OF the country have
had to resort to the highly expensive
carriage by motor trucks over country
roads This may have been unavoidable,
and the railway administration, like the
fuel bureau, may have done everything
possible. It may prove its wonderful eff
fieiency and high superiority in time,
We merely point out there is no evidence
yet that the government is performing
no miracles that might not have been ex
pected of the roads themselves, if they
had simply had enough money to go
ahead in their ordinary way"
Mr.. Price says that this is a fairly
complete summary Of the criticism that
is being directed at governmental admin
istratiOn Of the railways, and after quot
ing the statistics upon which it purports
to be based he adds that while they
show that the number of tons of freight
carried one mile during the first FIVE
months Of the year was 0.6 per cent less
than during the same months last year,
they also show that the loaded car
freight mileage travelled in the carriage
Of this freight was 552,S8s,5l2 miles, or
SO per cent less than the distance trav
eled under private management in the
carriage of nearly the same ton mileage
Of revenue freight during the same pc
Rod IN 1917.
Dealing with the reduction in the aver
age daily mileage of locomotives and
freight cars, he pointed out that this is
due TO the heavier train load and car
load, and explains that it is not eco.
nomieally practical to haul heavy trains
as fast as light ones, and that the rail
road administration has adopted the pol
icy Of loading trains to capacity and
moving them on schedules that are not
too fast to be maintained.
This showing, he claims, indicates not
inefficiency, but a striking increase in
the efficiency with which the railroads
are being operated, and asserts that it is
directly due 70 the heavier loading Of the
freight cars and the greater train load
now pulled by each engine
He continues as follows:
The average carload has been increased
from 262 to 2s5 tons, or S.s per cent. If
this ratio is maintained, it will be the
equivalent of an addition of IS per cent,
or 2ll,2O0 freight cars to the present
equipment of about 100000 cars, and if
the ratio of increase in the train load,
equal TO 81 per cent, is maintained, it
Wilt be the equivalent Of adding about
1850 to the present equipment Of some
65 600 locomotives of all sorts.
Surely this is better than buying new
cars and locomotives at time when
they can only be had at extravagant
prices and the manufacturing energies of
the country are overtaxed to provide the
things required for the winning of the
war.
Instead of proving the ineficniecy Of
government management, these figures
furnish the strongest possible proof of
its efficiency and wisdom in demonstrat-
ing that the old cars and engines are be
ing made to do more work than they
performed under private management,
The same progress toward the intensive
use of the present equipment is to be
found in the report Of loaded cars arriv
ing at Philadelphia and Pittsburg during
the first four weeks of July. This report
is as follows:
Comparative statement loaded cars and
tonnage contents arriving at Philadel
phia and Pittsburg four weeks ending
July ~, 1918, and corresponding four !
weeks previous year
Cars Tonnage.
1918 ................ l0022S 3023,207 |
1n1z nv 1Eo o Tso reE |