The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1921-07-15
THE COST OF CARELEssNEss.

From every ouarer comes complaints about heavy taxes
travaganec OF government high freight rates, the
amount costs live and support family and vast sums vast
ed m otou living and the like but there one wholly useless
item of expenditures reaching into staggering total annually
without causing serious concern ID.
ness costs the American people every Year, 1t would pooao
be exaggeraton to say that II costs even more an
dollar congress Carcessness collects its tax IRON every
ua every business every industry every day, every nour III
amounts varying from tng to thousands OF dollars ana
pass by merely calling mistake and accident ana e'-
We were set thinking about the Of careessness by
article written by Mr. T. H. Beacom vice pesder and general
manager of Rock Island Lines and appearing the company
monthly magazine In this interesting article Mr. Beacon re-
views the growth of the Rock Island system during the last
fifteen years gives comparative figures on the cost o
operation. 49,
ed Mr. Beacon shows that the paid out by his COM
pany for loss and damage freight during the 9O5
$6903 while in 1920 the total of such claims paid was l5oOoo
"Ths something which does good to anyone says Mr.
Beacon Los and damage freight only loss the railroad
company but represents loss to the country as whole effort
expended in growing manufacturing commodities or articles
which later lost damaged through freight handling ef
wasted In 1920 every $1,000 received by the
Rock Island the company paid $245O for freight claims
Showing that his loss affects only the capitalists who the
road but also the employees Mr.. Beacon adds
"Ihe money paid for and damaged freight in the year
1920 would have purchased 1000 90 l00b rail
sufficient nearly hundred miles Of track would
have purchased than sixty of the latest and largest types
Of freight locomotives it would have purchased about hun
ded and twenty OF the latest type steel coaches or
would have furnished employment to nearly empoye m
the transportation department OF railroad for month, orI
and maintenance of equipment departments for than
month"
That damaged shipments are attributable largely o
careessness the of somebody scarcely open
on But claims thus originating by-no tell the whole
story During the year 1920 55 respassers the Rock Island
right of way killed. 40 travellers highways of whom 38I
automobiles killed and 224 people automobiles
were injured by accidents, the company paying out this
$685. very large part if all of these accidents
could have been eliminated by greater part vehicle
drivers and the exercise of the necessary vigilance by employees
according Mr. Beacon Wrecks caused often BY arelessness
ness.
The fact that loss and damage claims alone cost the Rock
island more than four million dollars year should give
vague idea of the immense which careesness the
country when all the transportation lines considera
tion 1t is fair to that with the efficiency
ganization and all the humanity possible there would be
losses of this kind but it equally safe conclude that such
losses could be vastly reduced However not dealing
exclusively with careesness in the railroad industry.
This morning at breakfast you spilled coffee the table
elot merely accident of but it sweled the family
laundry blk The other day of friends while driving
picked up nail and puncured tire he took on driving
to garage and ruined casing worth about $50 Careless
driving an incauable loss of life and prop
ery According authentic figures careessness causes
percentage of the fires which destroy millions dollars worth Of
property annuay cigarette STUB thoughtlessy dropped
detective tue overlooked and neglected often
which wipes out whole blocks industrial plants lack Of care
in the handling of machinery fatal accidents much
observation furnishes convincing proof that careessness every
where and and every day collecting its bill from everybody
days 1914 He probably wouldn't have started confagraon
MRSe nt SaTs M Ess sose to wiping out civilization:
ne careessness u.s. OF course in the hands of every
1ndvdua requires greater personal efficiency the checking up
of mental processes the of thought the cultivation
OF habits OF accuracy attention detail foresight It i'm
possible to estimate the amount of wealth that would available
to increase the and happiness of mankind all that is
wasted careessnes saved utilized for
tive purposes He who acquires the habit Of being careful renders
good service both to himself and his fellow-men
-O- -.
According to chemist Ys weakness in athletics due to
The exhaustion of the nuive qualities Connecticut land and
asks aid for soil Improvement Then when Yale bs The
lust, it will get square meaThe Lberator (New York;
Mr. Hughes Russia economic vacuum but there tan
e 20 vacuum where there is 50 much hot aNs9 York World