The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1921-08-12
BURNETT TALKS
ON PROBLEM OF
THE RAILROADS
TRAFFIC MANAGER OF UNION
STOCK YARDS is HEARD BY
THE FARMERS.
HANDLING OF LIVE STOCK
Nation Wide Campaign to Save Losses
In Shipments Has Been Most Pro.
ductive of Good Results-Urges Co
Operative With Roads.

Operative With Roads.
(From Wednesdays Daily Herald
In an address delivered today be-
fore the Middle Tennessee Farmers
Convention, William A. Burnett, traf-
fic manager of the Nashville Union
Stock Yards, ably discussed the trans
portation question, particularly in its
relation to the agricultural interests
of the state and nation. Mr.. Burnett
spoke of the demoralized condition of
the railroads, growing out largely of
government operation. He declared
his agreement that the railroads were
the arteries of the nations commerce
and he counselled patience on the part
of the public while they solved their
problems.
In concluding his address Mr.. Bur
nett paid a tribute to the efficiency of
the roads in this section, and especial
ly of the service that they gave to the
shippers of live stock. On this poirfe
he said:
"In closing, | would like to make
brief mention of the local railroad
situation, in so far as my particular
line of work is concerned in the hand
ling of live stock. | do not think our
rate system is perfect, | doubt if it
ever will be, there are still many in.
justices in the matter of live stock
rates from my point of view, many
have been corrected during the past
few years, and take it as the years go
by rates, rules, regulations and privi-
le9es so far as live stock shipping is
concerned will become more uniform.
Our service, generally speaking, is
par excellent get over the country
a good deal, talk with traffic. men in
the live stock business from every
section of the country, and through
cooperation, in which | am obliged to
say the railroad men with whom |
come in contact have been most sim
cere, our service has been brought up
to high degree of proficiency.
We are not yet 100 per cent per-
feet nor will we be so long as rail
roads are operated by human beings.
you farmers do not operate your farms
on basis of 100 per cent efficiency,
nor is any other bushes operated on
that basis. During the past three
years the railroads serving the Nash
vile market have waged carefully
planned and systematic campaign to
reduce live stock shipping losses, and
to improve the service, the former loss
ratio has been cut more than half in
two, our campaign, and | may say our
campaign because we people of Nash
vile market co-operated with the rail-
roads in the movement. was so illus
trative of possibilities that nation
wide campaign was patterned there
after and has been carried on under
the auspices of the National Live
Stock Exchange for more than a year
with splendid results. great saving
has been made not only to the rail,
roads but an equal saving to the farm.
ers of the country because the live
stock shippers of the country are
largely farmers.
Eve people of the Nashville market
are justly proud of the railroad SER
vice we receive and believe the SER
vices we are receiving could be obtain !
ed by the shippers of every commodi- |
ty if they would pursue the course we
have pursued-the course of co-opela "a
ton, the biggest and best plan where |
by really big things can be accomplish.
ed, and / am almost willing to hazard /
the suggestion that when the big rail I
road problems which so deeply affect
Us are solved. in the final analysis, the ]
.olution will have been made possible (.
.nrough cooperation"
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