New-York tribune., 1921-05-25
Cost of Running
Trains Double
Pre-War Rate
Wages, Materials and
National Agreements AT
Fault, Says Elliott in
Telling of N. r. Troubles
Roads Pass Danger Mark
Unable to Repair Equipment
for Lack of Money; More
Employees, but Less Work
From The Tribune's Washington Bureau

From The Trtbnne's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, W May 24.-Testimony
of Howard Elliott, chairman of the
Board of the Northern Pacific, before
the Senate Interstate Commerce Com
mittee in the railroad inquiry to-day,
dealt with phases OF the enormous in
crease in operating expenses. The wit
ness presented table to show that
the wage cost of train operation more
than doubled between 1917 and 1920.
Mr.. Elliott said the cost for one mile
was S2.92 in 1920 compared with Sl.47
in 1917 and s2.39 in 1919. If the wage
increases made last July by the Labor
Board had been in effect throughout
the year the average cost per train
mile would have been $3.07.
The cost per mile run by all freight
LOGON olives in February last, he said,
was S124.46 compared with $9693 in
February the previous year and S59.42
in February of each year on the aver
age in the period 1915-t7. The cosS
per mile run by passenger locomotives
was S7l,21, $685. and $346l respec
lively in the same months.
Increase Passes Danger Point
Mr.. Elliott in the course of mis- testi-
mony emphasized the very significant
effect caused by the increase in the
prices OF materials and wages, the rules
in the so-called national agreements
and the general disturbing effect of
the war" on the cost of repairing
freight cars and locomotives. This, to-
gether with the financial condition of
che carriers, he said, has resulted in an
increase "to beyond the danger point"
in the amount of equipment out Of re-
pair, because the carriers have not the
money with which to make such re-
pairs,
He said that approximately 1873 per
cent of the cars owned by the Northern
Pacific are in bad order, of which about
four thousand are in very bad or
der" requiring approximately $780,
900 to repair. On April is, he said.
statistics showed about 10 per cent Of
the locomotives on the railroads of the
country were in need of repairs re-
quirlng more than twenty-four hours
to make. Ten per cent is regarded as
che maximum in normal times.
The average cost Of repairing a car
on the Northern Pacific during the
test period was s4.05, while in 1920 it
was s18,69, Mr.. Elliott said, while the
total cost of freight car repairs IN
the test period was 2,987 ,697, compared
with Sl2.l40,554 in 1920. One reason
for this increase, he said, was the fact
that since 1916 car repairers have been
increased 229 per cent in wages.
In 1917 the average number Of Of
fieers and employees OF the Northern
Pacific was 1887, those working on q
day basis being employed 1872 ,42O
days and those on an hourly basis 97,-
710.8l0 hours. Their total compensa-
ton was S35,877 ,879. In 1920 the total
number Of officers and employees was
G5,563, or 1866 more than in 1917,
while those on daily basis worked
1,37l ,933 days and those on an hourly
basis S6,058,373 hours. Their total
compensation for the year vas S66.503, :
1874 for fewer hours of work, or nearly
double what 1T was in 1917. Had the
wage award granted by the Labor
Board been effective throughout 1920
s69, 1915, ,740, Mr.. Elliott said
Test Period Set for Labor
Mr. Elliott said also that during the
test period, which covered the three
years prior TO June, 1917, 12,437,188
hours were spent by labor in the
maintenance Of equipment on the
389, or an average OF 90 99-100 cents
per hour.
The hours put in at this work in
1919 totaled 14,723,s37, while the total
labor bill was s9,526,696, or an average
Of Ga 70-l00 cents per hour. In 1920
the hours totaled 1888 1888 and the
total labor bill was $l2,401 287. while
the average cost per hour was
IS 63-l00 cents. Thus the increase in
hours in 1920 over thoss of the tes.
period was 31.33 per cent, while in
crease in total cost was 232.49 per
cent
Mr.. Elliott put into tho record