Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-03
LOSS ON RAILROADS
Continued from page !


He also predicted that o considerable
reduction in rates could be effected N
1919.
Wage increases TO railroad employees
/ last wear added between 5000, 600 ,0OO
and 800. .0Do.009 TO the payr0ls, Mr..
McAdoo testified. In addition the cOal
bill was $40 ,000, 900 higher for the ten
months of 1918 ending November than
in the same period Of 1917 aud the cost of
cross ties and lumber increased $GJ ,U0O, r
600
Many economies brought about under
unified management, such az re-rGutinR,
common use of terminals and equipment, &,
| heavier loading and elimination of useless
competition. Mr.. McAdoo ezplaincd. wllI
not be reflected until thls year Never
| thciess, he said reports from five Of the
seven operating regions show ta' on p
group Of selected principal items Of
| economy savings totalling SS. ,5lG 900
| have been effected
Many Of the changes in railroad opera-
| ton inauRurated during ia-t year, the
| director-general testified should prove
! of permanent value and should continue
/ II possIbc, regardless ol what form oi
/ control Is decided upon for the railroads
Such reforms include Maintenance os the
/
1T its source, maintenance Of heavy loads
Tor cars; pooling Of repair shops; elimIna--
| ton ol clrcutoIs routes. unihcatlon of
| 4 rminals, maintenance of he sailing day
plan coneolldatiou of ticket Offices, utIii-
zatlon Of universal mileage tickets, stand
ardizatiOn OF equipment, maintenance 81
| thc uniform freight classification nitro
duced by the railroad administration
! maintenance Of common tlnn tables be-
tween important points, maintenance of
high derpurra2e Rates and uniform rules,
establishment of througll u4v-bill freight
from point Of origin 10 destination; cirnln-
alton Of their Old practice of paying in
mileage or per diem rental for he nse If
freight or passenger cars If 0ur carrier
by another: simplhcation yf thc old proc
ltice Of 8pportIouiug intcr-Ine passenger
revenue. and utilization of water routes
for the relief Of crowded rail lines Com
petifion and 4elf-intcret ri individual
roads would prevent tbc carrying out ii
MANY of these reforms under fhe old
system Of private manage nert declared
Mr. McAtlo0
The retiring dirccfor-gcntral tod hc
Senators how the government taking nrci
he railroads the first of last year n
time when thew were threatened aitl
phyvical and financial breakdown hac
righted conditions gradually moved &.
496. .00a troop hauled great quantities 3
food ata critical tire in Feb7laT, whei
the very success Of the war depender
on tho food situation, and hauled n,
0S3. 600 more tons If bituminous Goa
during the ten months ending Octobe
81 than IN the same period of the yea
before
Whatever Inconvenience may hay
resulted 10 civilian travellers, he assert e
are due entirely to war conditions an'
are in no way related 70 fhe fact that th
railroads were under government control.
The director-generaI went at lengtl
into the necessity for pooling terTnIna
facilities in scores Of cities. This program
cannot be carried ont however. he SAID
except under some form Of unified contro
extending over a number Of years =
emphasized that waterways should p
used more extensively in coordination
with railroads, but expressed doub
whether his would be done il the road
vent back ~ competitive private man
agemcnt The Cape God canal shoui'
continue under Federal control, he SAID