The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-03-14
PRESENT RAILROAD SERVICE
IS FAR FROM Salts FACTORY

Kansas City Correspondence Of New
York Evening Post: AS we go farther
INTO peace times, government contro
CT transportation is meeting in the
middle west sharper analysis from
/ the angle Of actual service and finan
cial accomplishment, unfnfluenced by
allowances for war necessity. 1t Is
| felt that the railway administration
must now justify itself as business
! proposition, and that with three
months Of opportunity since the end
of hostilities it should, if ever make
some showing in that direction. Dur.
ing the war. while it was manifest
that we were securing d greatly infer
/ To- service, the disposition to suspend
judgement because OF tho needs OF
the times kept quiet much criticism
/ that was privately expressed. Now
| criticism is more freely and openly
shown and varies in ccordance with
the character of the individual and the
relation he bears to the railways bus
mess,
Naturally 1t Is important in an ag-
ricultural district to consider the at
titude of the farming classes toward
6 government measure vi such mo
ment. The farmer touches the rail-
road only in two ways: He occasional
ly rides on passenger trains, mostly
without using Pullman cars. He pays
freight indirectly through the prices
paid for his products and the cost of
his imported supplies. II he becomes
temporarily a shipper. 1t usually makes
little difference to him whether his
goods reach him in a few days or
many. His stock shipments are not
for long distances, and under any
management, from the very character
of the cargo, must De hurried to mar
ket. So the farmer has not realized
entirely what has been done to him
lie rebels at the increased cost of pas
senger fares-and stays home. He has
been receiving SO high a price level
for products that the Increased cost
of freight has not seemed worth much
-.crry. When prices were low, he
counted the pennies and stood stanch-
Iy for the lowest possible figure, as
sisting in enacting state laws to en-
force his ideas. Now he sees rates
higher than the railroads themselves
ever asked. and when he gets back to-
ward old-time prices for his products
he will want to know why
When it comes to the business men
there is feeling Of disaDpointment at
The workings Of the railway admi-
ration. regardless of the increased ex-
pcnse. The merchant. of course.
charges UP his increased freight and
express to his customers. What he
docs object to is the irregularity of
service and the apparent indifference
OF employees to prompt and efficient
delivery OF goods. Here is the state
ment of one Of the largest wholesale
shippers OF eggs and vegetables in the
interior:
II ship my carloads Of eggs to the
eastern market and have done SO for
years. Under railway management!
by the roads couIa depend on the I,
freight going through promptly 1t |
car OF eggs or butter down in Phila-
CeIphfa. The roads had department.
that traced a shipment and kept It'll
Recently I shipped out two
cars Of eggs to Philadelphia and wired
m agent at Chicago to trace them. |
File renlied that under the new rules
It could not De done, but that If the
rars did not get through in reason.
srle time there would be an investi-
cation. The eggs were just fourteen
lays arriving s.ad. the market being
Town, lost on them
That this is not alone in Missouri
IS told by another shipper: Late last
autumn I ordered two cars Of pota-
.nes from Ogden, Utah. which ought
g take, as have many shipments be-
ore, four to five days. tried to have
he cars traced and as the market
vos sagging. wanted prompt delivery.
was told it could rot he done. The
'ars evidently nosed their way
Trough, and were twelve days on the
cad. arriving so late that sold on a
ow market at a loss"
These are types of the business i
mans objections. and he knows that
operations depend for their success on
service that enables him to care
or their trade. In addition. he comes
n close touch with the passenger SER
zee through his own experiences and j
hose OF his commercial salesmen and I
me finds that the average commercial I
rave1er is constantly complaining
.gainst the lack of articulation Of [
4 aims at terminal points and the de- ,
avs that seem to De unnecessary. !
Probable some OF the alleged incivility /
# employees, of which much has been {