The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-07-25

Of increased railroad efficiency.
BY purchase the railroads ac'
quired in the first six months Of
this year a total Of some $4,000
freight cars. By reduction. how
ever, Of the percentage of freight
cars out Of order and awaiting
repairs. In comparison with last
year, they on July had increased
the number of serviceIble freight
cars availabis by some 1870 900. and
by increasing the number OF miles
travelled On the average yer car
per day, they had succeeded on the
last date OF record in :ncreas!n.
the Servico.giving ability OF their
freight cars by a margin which
if measured in new freiCht cars
1t follows clearly that the main
point in this matter is not the
new purchasing, but the new eff
cheney.
Efficiency is Factor.
This new efficiency is regarded
by the railroads as q thing which
they hope will be a triumphant
substitute for old-fashioned lobby
ing and old-fashioned eye.wash
press-agenting.
The committees on public rela-
tons of the railroads now tend to
include an increasing number OF
high responsible officials whose
only skill in writing q good press
story Is to load some more freight.
BY this method they have wrung
from Commissioner Potter of the
an epochal tribute to their epochal
q n a
Potter often does things which the
railroads do not like.
In a recent decision of his he
went out of his way, however, to
recognize the new situation in the
following memorable words: 1.-THE
railroads are now more efficient
than at any prior time in their his
tory, with fewer men they have in
recent months exceeded all prior
achievements. They have been
handling tonnage in record volume
so efficiently that there has been
scarcely q murmur of complaint and
so smoothly that their marvellous
performance Is scarcely noticed.
Already superior in public service to
every other system OF transporta-
ton in the world, they are headed
for better work in which there is
promise that railway problems may
disappear"
If, however, the problem of car
shortage should disappear this fall,
II will partly be because Of a thing
which is not so conducive to bust
ness optimism. This writer finds
that the railroads calculate that the
traffic offered to them this year, in
comparison with the traffic offered
to them last year, will not in the
last six months of this year show
quite the same enormous increase
that 1t showed in the first six
months.
Satisfy Politicians.
With business quieting down now
little and with the new efficiency
continuing TO go up a great dear,
the railroads calculate that possibly
-possibly-Senator Hiram Johnsons
constituents in California will not
next fall be writing him letters on
how their grapes are rotting while
the freight cars for them are not
coming, and they calculated-or
hopefully guessed and prayed that
Senator johnson thereupon will for.
get and abandon his drastic little
bill by the terms Of which no rail-
road can pay a dividend until It
has promptly and successfully re.
moved all the grapes and other
things that are offered to it along
its line.
To satisfy the politicians by sat
isfying their constituents-that is
the new lobbying.
Copyright, 1929. Washington Press
Servioe.)