Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-04-29

The price of railroad securities has
almost continually declined for 20
years. Freight rates are exhorbitant,
railroad labor is disconnected, service
is poor, and it is only natural that
everyone asks what's the matter with
the railroads. Commenting on the stu
alton. Roger w. Babson. statistician,
outlines five distinct difficulties that
must be overcome before the rail-
roads can get back to an efficient
basis.
First, there has been a change in
the relation of railroad labor to the
railroads. When / was a boy living in
Gloucester, the railroad connecting
Boston and Gloucester was very
largely owned by the people of that
line. Many Of the conductors, engi-
ners and track men owned SOM of it's
stock. There was a community of in
%terest; the community was interested
in the railroad; the railroad was inter-
ested in the community; and the en-
ployes were interested in both.
When the Boston & Maine was
purchased by New York bankers the
local interest disappeared. Absentee
ownership in securities inevitably leads
to absentee ownership in labor con-
troll. When the stockholders take
orders from some banker in New
York, the wage workers naturally take
orders from some labor leader in Chi
cago or Cleveland. The result is in
last time / came from Gloucester
there were just five passengers on the
train when it left the station, but
there wpre Sevcn emp1oyac
We hear much talk about the high
railroad wages" says MFR. Babson in
making his second point, but Stats
tics show that railroad labor is not
overpaid as a group. The difficulty is
not due to high wages. but rather due
to inefficient labor and to the many
useless rules of the interstate COM
merce commission, the state legisla-
lures, and congress. The trouble comes
from q waste of labor rather than from
excessive wages. The railroads could
today keep wages as they are if they
could dispense with the great army of
unnecessary employees who are not only
bleeding the public, but are running the
discipline of the organization itself.
When n man is loafing on the Job
it tends inevitably to make everyone
else loaf. What the one-man car has
done for the street railways of the
country some similar system should do
for the steam railroads. As there is
absolutely no need of the railroads
using all the trainmen that they use
today. the number must be reduced
before the railroads can be efficiently
u and made to pay.
The third great factor. saws Mr..
Babson. lis the automobile and the
auto truck. The auto truck is get
ting practically all the short freight
hauls. AS they have practically no Dad
tax to pay, they have an unusual ad-
vantage. The public supplies the road
bed. 1t supplies the terminals. and
supplies everything free. but the
truck. driver and gasoline. The idea of
letting these trucks ruin our highways,
as they are doing today, without pay
ing for the privilege, is a mistake
which will some day be rectified. How
even if the truck does paw its
proper share for the maintenance of
the highways. it is very debatable
whether the railroads will be able 70
compete with them on short haul BUSH
ness.
The automobile truck has come to
stay and will always be a distinct
competitor to short haul lines. For
that reason, I think it is wise for
people to invest their MONEY in the
trunk lines that cannot be adversely
by motor competition.
The fourth factor" continued Mr.. |
Babson. that is causing the railroad
securities TO lag is the many services |
they are performing for nothing, or
without adequate return. The term
inal charge should be much more than |
it now is. There should be different
rules regarding the loading and unload
ing of cars. The car charge per day
is too small. Also free checking of |
is absurd. l was examining
railroad property in the south a few
weeks ago.. In a mornings ride, I no.
that the ~baggageman handled but
one trunk during the entire trip. That
was paid SIS a day. Al
there were several other train
men who could have cared for this
trunk. yet because the interstate COM
merce commission required that a bag
be employed on that train, he
lad to make the trip. The railroads
are doing too much for nothing. OF
course, they should render service;
out they should be paid for that serv-
zee by the people to whom it is rem
In conclusion Mr.. Babson brought
out the fifth reason that railroad Sc
,uritles have continued to decline, due
the management. The railroads
we're built by civil engineers. These
engineers have gradually worked up
Until they have become the operators.
they. are honest, Woodworking, intel
lgent men, but they are trained for
engineers and not for merchants. Now
l banker might efficiently operate the
railroad if he would live on It and
give it his attention, but a banker can
lot successfully operate a railroad in
he south or west from an office chair
n New York city. Transportation to-
lay is a matter of merchandising. The
period of r~ailroading is
zone by. There is no more reason why
l civil engineer should run a railroad
:oday than that he should run the
Noolworth business or the Sears &
h~usineas Tropsnn.$at;or 4. :