Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1919-12-31
c. A. PROUTY TALKS
Prominent FermOnter Gives Views on
Coal and Railroads

The Hone. 4. PrOuty of Newport
who, as director Of valuation for the
Interstate Commerce Commission
has the task OF keeping track OF the
values Of the railroads Of the United
States, amounting 70 about twenty
billions OF money or nearly the a
mount OF the war debt, was at Hotel
Vermont receuC4y and was Interview
ed Oy 3 Free Press reporter regard
ing the statements that the coal min
ers were able 70 work only : small
part Of the time because Of the scar
city OF coal cars and the equipment
for hauling them
Mr. Prouty stated IN answer that
during the month preceding the coal
strike, more coal was mined than IN
any previous month IN history and
the railroads had the mines practi-
caLIy cleaned out OF mined coal when
the strike went on Of course in order
10 have plenty Of coal cars during the
three most severe months Of the year
F the railroads would be compelled TO
make = big investment IN stock which
could be used only q short time and
f would lie idle nine months. People
+ 20 large extent buy coal only as
+ they need II and do not buy ahead IN
sufficient quantities 10 keep the cars
busy.
Mr. ProUty stated further that the
coal miner was q peculiar animal.
/ 4 large percentage Of them work only
when they have 10 and when the
wages are higher the amount OF work
put IN by them Is likely 10 show q de-
sided decrease In other words. the
money runs low, therefore his efficien-
4 cy varies almost inversely with the
n = ~-Frrr- - - =
+ LABOR sir PrOutys force Is now
engaged, IN computing figures By
which the efficiency can be ascertai-
ned IN the employees of the railroads
Inc force employed in the vaIua-
ton OF the property In charge OF
DIrectOr-General Hines and assisting
Mr. Prouty IN his work Is about
1000 The valuation was taken
aS~It was IN 1914 Stock purchase ed
since that time Is added and that dis
Eearded Is sUbtracted. The number OF
new locomotives purchased by the
railroads Of the country would be
/ approximately 5000 per year. In the
I last two years about that number has
been bought but almost none has been
Teiesatesi tC the scrap heap The rea-
son for this Is that tla b1ying of
cheap locomotives has Oeea clscontin-
ued and the heavier zEEes stand I'D
4! 2 Io1S time Izz san LaIng x true
IN absence Of tn@ light cars. The
+ number purchased IN normal times
Is about LOG, 600 per year and the
number being bought now Is much
less but the life OF q freight car can
Dc prolonged indefinitely by reuafr-
ing first one part and then another,
ard the number put IN scrap now i
small
I In speaking OF the present sta
+ ton, Mr.. PrOuty said that the one and
+ the main trouble was that the country
had too much money Things viii
aot get back TO normal until foreign
mpetltIol comes IN and eGualizes
business He Is heartily IN favor
/ OF paying OF 2 part OF the war debt
by assessing those who made great
+ fortunes ont Of the war This could
easily be done, II MS opinion, By
+ Congress The statement has bean
made that the war made %. 600 r1II-
EOrares- This Is probably an0uE
True These with the hundreds o.
thousands Who made fortunes which
F I'D rot reach . million. could do n1uch
70 pay OF the debt, and pulling down
sOme OF this wealth which was made
over night would De q good thing for
t.e country