Evening journal., 1921-08-03
Henry Ford Tells Hon.
TO SaUe the Railroads
BY f. NJ. THIERRY.
Copyright 1921 by Newspaper
Enfprnrfeo

public"
That is the boiled-down answer
Henry Ford gave when 1 asked him
to tell his magic formula" for cur
ing Americas railroad ills.
Giving two hours out Of his va
cation in the West Virginia noun
tains with II. S. Firestone and
Thomas A. Edison. he told me how
after purchase he rehabilitated the
d.. T. & l. railroad. And he declared
that application Of f.the same methods
would make all sick" railroads
well.
I'VE cut freight and passenger
rates 90 per cent and we boosted
wages said Ford. And it won't
take long to reduce the rates 30 per
cent.
All Could Cut.
"AIl railroads could cut their rates
in half We have shown them how.
But I'm afraid they won't do IT,
Under Wall Street management
the only way they know to make
money is higher railroad rates
which is the poorest way in the world
to get business"
Ford said he wasn't a magician"
and didn't WELD a magic wand"
This is his recipe:
Keep the railroad busy and the
equipment busy and all the men on
it busy.
"On the D.. II. & /. we are getting
along fne-making money where
the road never made money before.
making IL because the men are busy
and their hearts are i'm their work.
1--WE eliminated waste and dead
wood. All railroads can-and should
do the same thing"
Ford declared he found enough
scrap along the D., T. & 1. to pay for
its purchase.
What is the first thing you would
do il you were given all the rail-
roads TO rum" / asked him.
slash rates, boost wages, let a
lot Of the men go" he replied. I'D
let some of the men go back to the
farm-temporarily. They'd be Of
more use there.
Thinkers Needed.
There are too many men rum
ming the railroads who let some-
body else do their thinking for them.
We want men who can think for
b
themselves.
That's why / made my son. Ed
sci, president Of the Ford Motor
Company. He thinks for himself.
! Another thing is that too many
men let titles spoil them. That's why
/ made myself president of tho D..
T. & /.
I'm glad to say the title OF presi-
dent didn't spoil Edsel."
As a railroad president Ford re-
ceives season passes from other rail-
roads. But he doesn't use them.
2 They offer to haul his private car
a free He always pays for it.
"As long as money is the me-
- dium of exchange" he said. Il be-
l. lieve It ought to be used. IL ! want
/. something and 1 haven't got the
money to buy it ] ought not to buy
It. Too bad everybody doesn't fol
D low that plan"
J. One OF Ford's reforms" on th'
- D., T. & l. was to take able men ou
.e Of his motor car industry and le
them run the railroad.
d Too Much Tradition.
d "A lot OF railroads would be bet
S ter off IL they adopted a policy alonl
n that line he said. There is to,
q much tradition in the railroads.&c.
n ing things in old-fashioned ways
10 What did we ever know abou
railroads-eXcept to ride on 'em
Is Yet we've got our road organized 81
l. that inside Of a year it is making
n money. Any railroad could be pu
> on It's feet in that time.
e "The fashioned method II
T. running railroads-and in lots O
g. other businesses-is to do as littl
IN as you can and get the most none
B. as fast as possible.
m Il see a new era dawning, wit
this creed. DO as much as you car
in get small returns. and serve tn
ne most people-and the money wi
Il come in so fast you won't kno
l,- where it's coming 'front.' will II
on undate you"
to Too Much Manipulation.
e. asked Ford what he thought W.
the matter with American railroad.
,er 'aTo much stakeholder" he r
to piled promptly. 81 mean too muS
od, Wall Street manipulation-and Il
OF much weight in the rolling stock.
,od Fundamental principles must
changed. Designs must be made
ad- lighter rolling stock.
for Il don't believe in governme
,an ownership. because what is ever
M body's business is nobody's busine
There should be private co-ordin
isia ton OF all the railroad systems.
TO Railroads have been managed
in stockholders who only figure h'
lief much they can get out Of them
be the moment-not what they can
ans in the future.
mo. ! am not against a great ms
at OF stockholders-if they are
du- right kind. The right kind Of stoS
the holders In railroad or in any
nm dustry Is ONE WHO is DOING II
, N wORK-WIIO HAS HIS HEART
IT.
Forty years ago my father nj
tied TO say something that applies to q
Of very thing;
.ing HE who by the pillow would thri
Must either hold the plow or drive
~ Ford pointed to the great mum
/, in Of employees who are stockholders
,rv- his motor car and tractor corpo
ons tions.
ited In all our plants and branches
fatv have from 60, 900 TO $4,000 men"
'ac- said. ''Two-thirds Of them have
Of tween $4,000 and S10,000,00O
vested in the companies they W
10 for. This plan has been in operat
ere two years. An employe can own
dis investment certifcate-which is n