The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-14
LETTERS TO EDITOR
Inefficient Railroad Work

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 Of the two great fundamentals of eco nomics-food and transportaton-as se- rious as was the outlook short time
 since for a sufficient amount of food
 to be produced this year to feed the na- tion another twelve month, due to the
 goodness of the .Giver of all good gifts
 there is today every indication that there
 win be no shortage of food for the next
 eighteen months. But the question of
 transportation and proper distribution of
 farm products is overshadowing all other questions.
 There has been raised a great clamor by the railroad operators for money. with which to- properly psthe railway sy stems with engines and cars, in order | to handle satisfactorily the tonnage. demand has been made that the railroaoe be allowed to increase freight rates, even before the generous allowance of $3Oo,- O00 900, granted by the Congress for re- mobilization of the roads, has been half expended.
 When we see miles and miles of empty
 cars standing on the side tracks of every | railroad in the south. we are inclined to believe that the railroad operators are holding out on the public" and there is too much method about the howl of
 car shortage to be sincere. In face of the facts, we are very much of tho opinion that the public is being incon- venlenced for purpose; and that pur- pose is to impress the interstate com
 merce commission.
 We are willing to concede that many of the cars are out of commission but fifteen minutes work by a mechanic can put many of the idle cars in use. few hours work can put many more to serv- ing the public. There is entirely too much waste in our transportation sys- tenn There is use burning up cars that few hours work by mechanic could repair. Somebody has to pay for all this waste, and it is the Jones who pay the freight who bear the loss. Time is not of so great importance that hundreds of thousands and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property should be destroyed in order to prevent a few hours delay
 In Germany you do not see any evil dence of a recent or remote wreck. Such was the case before the European war
 at least If there is wreck somebody is punished for carelessness; if lives are lost somebody Is responsible and held to accountability for manslaughter. Sim liar to the bank law in China--when there is a bank failure the head of the banker goes into the waste basket of assets.
 There are not many bank failures in China.
 There would not be many wrecks on the railroads if men were punished for negligence and carelessness. When there is wasted the loss does not stop with the owner of the property, but the world is that much poorer for permitting the waste It should be impressed on the employees of railroads that any loss to the road adds that much to the high cost of living, as somebody must pay the loss and necessarily it is added to the cost of transportation. If laborers were "docked'' for putting more coal in the bunkers than would stay on the tender" when the train was in mo- ton. very many tons of fuel would be saved annually to the railway systems. I saw four wrecks on two railroads in A four-hours ride from Birmin gham had just returned from trip to Europe
 and did not see single wreck or evil dence of one recent or remote, travelling l.3 coco miles, and going on railroads Tor six weeks. It Is our inefficient manage ment in the first place, and reckless dis regard of cost on the part of laborers in the second place. 1t amounts to criminal care.essness. The saying. "Oh. well. that just means more work for some other Ia boring. man. why bother about it?'' lThis feeling about loss to the rail- road"' has given to men dishonest bias. an indifference as to the service rem dered A locomotive Is repaired in Ger many. and England as well. so long as two pieces will stay together. and there are more people in these countries in need of jobs than in America. The kick the farmer has Is the buck is always passed on to the farmer He is the Jones who pays most of the freight" The farmer furnishes 55 per cent of all the freight hauled. and being unorganized, with all other avocations
 standing against him. there Is no possi-
 bility of escape from the burden. It is
 said that Mature knows nothing of for
 giveness'' and the law of supply and
 demand" is one of natures laws. The
 mills of the gods grind slow but sure.
 The public, having gone counter to na-
 ture law, will surely have to pay .he
 price, and it is now up to the farmer to
 fix the price. The demand will be ali
 he can possibly supply, and at the farm
 CTS price The commission can grant
 the advanced rate but the farmer will
 this time pass the buck to the consumer
 c. T. NELDERRy.
 Talladssa. July 1a. 1aoa