Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-17
BETTER TIMES FOR RAILROADS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

American railroads are in the best
shape physically and financially that
they have been for more than 20 years.
They are being operated at higher
level of efficiency and are carrying more
freight than ever before. Railroad pres
idents and stockholders now are fer
vently hoping that Congress and the
State Legislatures will refrain for q
while from passing any more drastic
regulatory statutes to interfere with
final rounding out of the properties on
q sound basis.
Regulation has been visited upon
American carriers to an unusual extent.
There was good reason in the begin
ming. Relating, rate-cutting, the grant,
ing OF passes, not only for passengers,
but for freight, and many other abuses
grew up in the late nineteenth century
when fierce competition prevailed
among the various lines and when cor
ruption crept in. The Interstate Com
merce Commission then was set up, and
since that time Congress has scarcely
left the railroads alone for a moment.
State Legislatures followed suit, estab-
fishing State regulatory bodies. The re-
suit was a crosS-fire of regulation which
left the carriers practically no freedom,
no Initiative. Then came the war, and
ment bodily. Since then the transpor-
tation act has put all of their finances
under strict Government regulation.
Much as stern measures OF regulation
were needed a quarter Of q century and
more ago, there has been in more recent
years q growing opinion that the mat
ter was carried a bit too far and the
roads were being regulated out Of bust
ness. So there has been q let-up for
the past few sittingS of Congress, with
the result that the roads have thrived.
They have by no means shared in
the great prosperity which in the last
decade has been the lot Of the great
industrial corporations. but they have
improved their properties and, for the
most part, escaped bankruptcy. Now.
II left alone for little longer. railroad
owners and managers feel that they
may have q chance to share in the
prosperity which others have enjoyed.
Freight Movement Speeded Up.
Figures are available for the first
eight months Of 1929 and show that
gross earnings have amounted to
"a, 20S o00, 900, which represents q gain
Of 5.6 per cent over q similar period Of
1928. However, net earnings increased
20.6 per cent for the eight-month Pc
Rod over last year. This greater In
crease III II1C net UTAH III Tic kTOoo 40
| q reflection Of the increased efdciency
with which the roads have been oper-
ated. Beginning n few years ago, the
railroad managers started series of
committee meetings at which plans
were worked out for the better. and es-
pecially more rapid handling Of freight
The speed of freight movement was
greatly increased. This permitted OF
the loading, the movement and the un-
loading of cars In shorter times, thus
making 1t possible to get more use out
of the same vehicles.
The public is not prone to notice
| improvements in service of this char
acter--that is. none save those in inn
mediate contact with the job. However,
the public does notice failures Of serv-
ice 1t notices, for example, when
acute car shortages occur, and also
! when cars become congested in termi-
mails, because these circumstances are
! likely to affect deliveries and retail
prices. No such emergencies have arisen