New Britain herald., 1925-03-14

If a business man, on checRihs up hls books, discovered that In four years he had lost about 20 per cent. of his customers, he would want 10 pull down the shades in his store, lock the front door and hand the key to tho first per son who happened along,
 This IS a picture of what has happened in railroad circles since 1920. According to the Railway Age, the railroads of the nation have lost one-fourth Of their pas sengers in the past four years chiefly because so many people do their travelling by Automobile. h. stead of depending on the steam roads for transportation, they hop into their cars at any time Of the day or night and ride to their des- tination. To make the situation worse for the railroads, there is no hope in sight for improvement ana as time goes on the number Of pas- SenBerS WILL utEltaSN'
 Statistics are usually dry and un- interesting but here are some which are not. The number of passengers carried in 1924 was 24 per cent less than the number carried m 1920. The average passengers per train in 1920 was S4; in 1924 Il was G5. The average per car in 1920 was about 20 and in 1924 about 15. An Illuminating example of what has happened is given by the Age, when 1t says: "lf the rail- ways with the average rate in CT feet in 1924 which was only l-2 per cent. greater than in 1920 had handled as much passenger busl- ness as in 1920, their total revenues from it would have been $3l7,O0O,- 1 900 larger than they were. This ex- ceeds the total cash dividends paid in any year 1917."
 In spite of the fact that they nave been losing money the railroads have continued to provide service for those who want it almost on as broad a scale as when money was pouring into their coffers. Thes could not afford to cut their service 10 any great extent because If they did so they would further encour' age public dependence on the auto mobile.
 America faces real problem. II has billions of capital invested IT railroads. This capital is expected to return a dividend to the mar who invested in railroad stocks But one source of income, passen ger service revenue, is diminishing Savings banks especially have none! invested in railroads. That mean' that everyone who has a dollar II a savings bank has an interest II the railroads. , What's going to be done about II { Higher freight rates, friends or th' railroads say. Immediately shipper protest, buyers protest, consumer protest. What, another jump in tn cost of living? That is the stronl note in their chorus. "Iet the rait
 roads go hang" says the thought less man in the street, who Wou'' soon howl if they followed his ad vice. Because if he works in a fac tory he would soon find himself ou
 of a job when no means could D c found to move the products or Una
 factory to market and who Woui 0 soon find himself hungry 1t In
 food growers in the south and mid
 dle west could not get their prod
 ucts to his table. It's a knotty pup
 zIe If the railroads cant llv
 neither can we until methods q transportatiOn are reEoluuonlZe 1t and readjusted. And if they are l. continue to live. the WhercWlth; d must come out of the pockets It somebody, and that somebody is tf '' public.
 re Mrs. A. and Mrs. B. met on Ma Il, street yesterday afternoon ar ,d stopped for moments chat. Mr to A, remarked that she had misla
 one of her gloves in the course i' her shopping, thus explaining ol lS barred hand. After they had gol S- their respective ways, Mrs. B. ha
 pened into a department store al
 while shopping noticed a famlh
 looking glove on the count(
 Cuoear scrutiny disclosed that '1 was the mate of the one glove se'
 half an hour before on Mrs. A oe hand. and at her request she w VI permitted to take the glove k
 turning home shortly afterWal
 Mrs. B. telephoned Mrs, A. a
 their conversation ran as follows ,s+ Did you find your glove M
 A.?
 "No I didn't, Mrs, E., but n "Wasn't it a light tan glove! " "Yes. it was, but--
 And didn't it have a pearl p'
 ton?"
 "Ycs, but"
 "Wcl, l just found it and
 sending it over to you" .cd "Thanke very much, but - l
 our mails with your contri utlo