The north Mississippi herald., 1921-09-09

valuable to Detroit as the only road
coming in from the South which did
not operate through the frequently
congested Toledo terminals; that |
was convinced it could be converted
into money maker even by other
hands, but that so far as the Fords
were concerned, they ran no risk at
all, since they already had traffic
enough of their own to make the
road profitable.
Own Traffic Responsible
1.-The Ford performance stands out
all the more prominently right now
because he has been able to double
and treble the earnings by means of
his own traffic at time when all
other lines are suffering a great di-
minution of traffic. But imagine, if
you please, other railroads of the
country enjoying such an increase in
high class carload traffic! They
would Immediately wax so fat that a
great reduction in freight rates
would quickly ensue. The financial
status of all roads would be revolu-
tienized just as Ford has revolution
lied the status of the D., T. & l..
There were some incidentlas be-
sides which helped set the stage, as it
were, for Ford's successful debut
Just previous to his taking over the
road fifteen new engines and 800 new
Dox cars had been purchased from the
Railroad Administration. Something
over half million dollars had been
expended during Federal control on
such additions and betterments as
heavy rail, a new engine house and
machine shop at Napoleon terminal,
coaling station at Jackson terminal,
a large number of new shop tools,
einder pits at all terminals (previous-
ly there were none, a new 120-ton)
wrecking outfit, additional yard and
passing track, an American ditcher.
Jordon spreader, a clamshell, snow
plow, etc. These expnditures are
now bearing fruit
Ford Gts Division
Then the D., T. e. /. was weak and
had never been treated fairly by MANY
of its connections in the matter of
equitable division of through rates.
FORD says; Come across with more
favorable divisions or no Ford traffic
for you,' and he secures the divisions.
And so Henry Ford is making a
profit out of the D., T. & l., and his
possession of the traffic necessary to
this result enables him to put before
the |. c. C. what, at first glance to
the unthinking, looks like a most
plausible pretext for a reduction of
freight rates. Obviously Ford has
many millions more to gain out of re-
duced freight rates than out of any
possible profit on the D., T. & /.
Fortunately the Transportation ActI
deals with railroads as a whole or by
groups, and it isn't at all likely that
the |. G. G. will authorize reduc-
ton at this time, because that body
of experts must realize that D., T.
q l. profit is at the expense of other
roads from Which the Ford Motor
Company traffic was withdrawn.
"It would be a spectacle for the
gods to see Ford struggling with the
d., t. & I. If he had no traffic of his
own to route over it'll
Cites Big Improvement
"0ne Ford interview saw some
weeks ago commented on reduction
in number of employees and in ex-
penses, but failed to take into con
sideration relative work performed.
In 1920 after Ford acquired the road
and | knew it to have powerful
financial backing, we Immediately
started in on many acutely needed
track improvements. We did not
strive to confine our expenditures to
revenue, as railroad executives gen
orally have to do, but proceeded vigor-
ously to lay heavy rail, to do a con
siderable stroke of ditching and bal
lasting, to give attention to elnnina-
tion of sharp curvature, etc. This
was done without direct instructions
from Ford, because the ten president
believed a railroad should be main
tanned to reasonably good standard
or scrapped. He believes now that
the !. G. G. and state commissions
should so insist.
ITO what extent this policy of
promptly converting the D., T. & /.
INTO a better railroad physically was
followed during the first six months