Evening star., 1925-06-12
Rail Activities Draw Public
Attention to Transportation

Recent events in the railroad world,
including the receivership of the Chi
cago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, have
concentrated attention upon the sub
Ject OF the transportation of the
future. The abandonment of branch
lines because of truck and bus COM
petition is pointed to as significant,
but 1t is believed by many observers
the steam roads will meet the crisis
with motorization of short lines and
auxiliary service by railroad-owned
trucks.
Ever since the gasoline trucks
ness and make door-to-door de-
hveries," observes the Wichita Bea-
con, 'the railroads have been puzzled
as to how to meet this new form of
competition. The solution is similar
to that of the old Kansas politician
If you can't lick EN-, jine en- 1t
behooves the people to utilize the
best points of each form of trans
portation and adapt both to each
other" This view also is advanced
by the Nashville Banner with the
comment: I'm the final analysis, the
decision as to the relative merits of
train and truck will be rendered by
the travelling and shipping public.
1t must be admitted that the general
public Is concerned only with getting
the most speedy, cheap and salts
factory service possible. It cares
little or nothing for either railway or
truck line operators"
Reviewing the situation, the Chi
cago Daily News concludes that
Problems of taxation, freight rates,
service schedules and the like can be
settled best If the railroads, the water
carriers and the motor truck COM
panies adopt a live-and-let-l!ve policy
and endeavor to supplement instead
of antagoniZing one another.
The Des Moines Tribune comments
on a report by the American Railway
Association and concludes: with all
that is said about truck competition,
it appears that the railroads are
handling more cars of freight than
ever in their history and at higher
rates than have prevailed for a long
while. Is 1t not a fact that the rail.
roads are earning money on a scale
they have never before considered
possible? Is it not a fact that in the
main they rank with the big earners
in the stock market?"
X y
In the matter of passengers, how
ever, the Providence Bulletin notes
loss and cites the fact that in foreign
countries the competition Of the high
ways is similarly felt. The Bulletin
adds: "It is proposed by the New
Haven road to expand the program
already modestly entered upon for
serving certain lines by self-pro-
PEELED vehicles moving on the COM
pany's rails. offering units in train
movements which are more econom-
fcal than the steam locomotive, with
''It is WELL" says the Dayton News,
"to give attention to the most recent
report of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, showing that railroad
mileage has declined until at the
end of 1923 it was practically the
same as in 1918. 1t may be that
there are too many railroads, but no
one can say there are too many miles
of railroad. Consolidation will elm
mate the difficulty OF TOO many
managements, but there will have to
be shown gainful investment before
extensions may be undertaken. That
such showing may be at hand is
seen in the fact that the mileage de-
cline seems to have stopped with
1929"
The future scope of the rail cor
poration impresses the Evansville
Courier, which remarks in its COM
ment on the new charter of the
Nickel Plate line: 'If there is any
mechanical means of transporting
goods and passengers not included
by the Van Sweringen brothers in
their plans for the new merger ex-
cept possibly submarines, 1t is not
easily discoverable." The charter
provides for operation by steam,
electricity, gas, gasoline or other
motive power" and for the use of
watercraft. wagons, motor vehicles