The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1919-12-23
u. S. FAILS TO KEEP
ROADS in GOOD SHAPE
CONDITION VASTLY DIFFERENT
FROM THAT UNDER PRIVATE
OWNERSHIP. INFERIOR TIES.

OWNENOE7AE. lint ENtON AAG0s
CHICAGO, Ill.-Apropos of the
bill for federal maintenance which
the railways will have to Offset
against the claim of $518,079,309,
which the government has advanced
for so-called addition and better
ment expenditure" it is common
knowledge that whatever additions
and betterments have been made
since January 1, 1918, they have not
sufficed to maintain the railway prop
erty Gin substantially as good repair
and in substantially as complete
equipment as it was at the beginning
of federal control" as nominated in
the act of March FL, 1918.
While plummet may not sound the
depth of the depreciation bog into
which these betterments have disap-
peared, the statistics of 1918 and
1919 give an inkling of their vast ex-
tent.
The Maintenance of Way.
Take maintenance of way, for ex-
ample. Ordinarily 00,000,0O0 ties
are needed yearly to maintain the
standard of safe operation. Less than
100000 of inferior quality have
been bought each year of federal
control. That alone would involve
$40,000,000. But the wear and tear
of 1918 and 1919 was 40 per cent.
heavier than in a normal year, for
the ton mileage increased from 1885,
900, 100000 in 1914 to 408,000,000,-
900 in 1918.
So for the ties alone the deficit is
over $56,000,000, and the cost of re-
placing them is 40 per cent. more.
Of ballast for current upkeep, except
on a few favored lines, there has
been none.
AS for the federal rail replacement,
the minimum for the past two years
is conservatively estimated at 2,0O0,-
900 tons, costing at current prices
$96,000,000. Here again the cost of
replacing 100000 tons of rail would
be one-third as much more, making
fully $130,000,000 on the account
alone, or total of at least $780,
100000 to put the roadbed in sub
stantially as good repair as on JAM
uary 1, 1918.
Where in 1914 there were 492,718
men in the maintenance of way de-
partment, whose annual compensa-
ton was $3.50, 100000, the CORE
spending classes in 1918 included
458,300 persons, whose pay aggre-
gated over $442,000,000. The gov
eminent paid nearly go per cent.
more for maintenance of way in 1918
that did not maintain than the rail-
ways paid in 1914 before the rush of
war wear and tear began.
The Maintenance of Equipment.
In maintenance of equipment it is
harder to make fair estimate of the
true state of obsolescence, deprecia-
ton and decay.
On December 81, 1917, the rolling
stock of 252,029 miles of line report
ing to the bureau of railway news
and statistics consisted of 63,828 To-
comotives, SAITH passenger cars and
2,394,705 freight cars.
On December 81, 1918, twelve
months later, on 250,473 miles, there
were reported 64,410 locomotives,
55,779 passenger cars and 2,385,376
freight cars.
At latest federal advices October,
1919 there were 81, $40 locomotives,
OF which only 47,513 were reported
serviceable, and September, 1919
2,476,095 freight cars (of which on
ly 1885, $40 were reported service
able). Moreover these federal figures
include over 100000 freight cars
leased from private companies.
There is nothing in these figures
to show any material increase in the
available number of locomotives or
cars. This would indicate that the en-
tire $200,000,000 financed for equip
ment under the National Car Trust
should be a charge against the gov
eminent in order to enable it to full
fill its guarantee of March Fl, 1918.
In the maintenance of equipment
there were 384 $50 persons in 1914
who worked 1,204,971,210 hours,
against All 1898 In 1918 VINO WORKED
1,284,964,O0O hours. The compensa-
ton of these employees was 5000, 1885,
343 in 1914, against $3.50, 757 900 IN
1918-an increase of nearly lao per
cent. in pay for an increase of less
than per cent in work.
AS to locomotives, in two years the
bureau of locomotive inspection has
ordered 6,558 of them "out of ser
vice." or 1000 more than the govern
ment ordered built in the meantime
and surely 1000 more than have beer
built in these two years, including
those ordered by the companies be.
fore December 81, 1918. A thousand
locomotives today represent at least
$4,000, 900.
From all of which it is evident thai
at present prices the government
would have to expend something like
s44O, 100000 to place the roads anc
equipment in substantially as gooc