Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-10-25
Henry Ford on R. RS
(Continued from Page One)

capital. 1t WOuld De Sdlu liie't ~
pie had bought these stocks Tor inc
financial protection Of their families
their children, protection from
what? From the necessity of earn
ing their living. Their children would
be better off if they had to finance
themselves. Proper financing would,
of course, be easier on new roads.
On the old ones, however. it should
be possible to retire the parasite, the
non contributing stock holder and
get the ownership into the proper
hands.
after removing this dividend
drain, the second step would be to
remove the great physical burden OF
the railroads-needless weight of its
rolling stock A freight train is seN-
eral times the weight of the load it
carries, and passenger train is 70
times as heavy. The cost of pulling
empty trains is needlessly large.
Contrast this with the efficiency of
the bicycle, which weighs 20 pounds
and will carry a man who weighs 200
pounds.
ION the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton
the old type of engine and car will
be displaced better ones. Our
patents will tee the free use
of ideas. We VI never proceed
against anybody for infringement of
our patents. They will belong to the
world.
The third step, an immediate step
which should be taken in the opera
ton of any great railroad system
would be that of eXpediting the jour-
ney of the freight carrier. BY speed
ing up our freight over the 'prelim-
mary part of its journey on the d.
T. & l., we have been able to shorten
the time of it's delivery by periods
ranging from seven to IA days. This
means that our product gets to the
people to whom we sell it from seven
to IA days quicker than it used to.
1t means that we carry on our books
S30,000,000 less undelivered products
than we otherwise would
Most railroads have enough law
yers working for them to operate
them if they were engaged in useful
work. One of the first things is to
dispense with the legal staff. A we'll
managed road needs less of that sort
of service. The lawyers are mostly
in the claims department, which is
one of the most waSteful branches in
most railroads. Any small claim is
likely to knock about the claim de-
partment for weeks and months to
cost more than it would pay it. Pro-
per organization would lead at the
time it is first presented to estab-
fishing the facts about it and set
Ting it on the basis of justice. 1t
would keep all this detail off the
books.
THE book keeping of railroads is
complicated far beyond all necessity.
We have simplified the department,
reduced its costs and have trans
formed it into an actual help TO the
railroad instead of veXation and
a burden. How did we do it? BY
viewing the whole proposition as
service to the users Of railroads and
everything fit into that. in
stead of having the fear of stock
holders and dividends before our
tSSS. oui ldltIl 10 tlldI NIIC Will
pay. Finance does not come first. |
Work comes first.
I'VE don't claim to have done |
anything new in railroading-yet |
We have only taken the old system |
Of operation and cut off its obvious |
absurdities. Even the old system |
Of railroading brought up to eff
cheney. would be an immense change |
for this country. We have simply |
cut out the loafing of men, the loaf |
ing of engines and the loafing of |
cars. The result seems to have sur
prised many people. But there is |
no mystery or magic about it Any |
one can do it. If the introduction of |
plain, everyday good management !
will create such change. what may |
we not expect from really new ideas? |
Il don't like to appear as criti- |
cising any railroad managers, for / |
have never done SO. With their |
on their backs and
their banker bosses who don't |
know anything about railroading.,
what can they do? They must be lib
Grated from the present system. And
YOU can't do that by giving them
5000, 600, 900 to perpetuatc the pres
L, 4 ~