The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1939-06-22
A Personal Appeal To President Beyins Of The
Illinois Central R. R.

The Examiner office was visited by a group OF
railway officials Tuesday morning, including Supt. Caul-
field, of Water Valley, and Mr.. Claypool of Chicago,
with the disconcerting information that one lone pas
with the disconcerting information that the one lone pas
senger train on the Aberdeen branch of the Illinois
Central is to be discontinued.
AS has been stated previously, The Examiner is
opposed to this step. There can be little doubt that
this service will seriously cripple the business life OF
our little city, as well as that of every other city and
village served by the Illinois Central on its 1O8 mile
line from Durant to Aberdeen. And not a few earnest
and lifelong friends of the /. c. have told us that this
act, along with others of the same character, is just a
step toward financial suicide for this great railway sys-
tenn.
I It would be much easier and perhaps more profit
able for us to side-step this issue, and abandon our city,
and central Mississippi to its fate. A selfish lookout
for Number-One" policy sometimes pays better-tempo-
rarily at least. But we have decided to adopt a broader
view, and write this personal appeal to President Bevins,
of the !. c., with the hope that perhaps ne Will nave
just a heart throb of sympathy for the people down
in the red hills OF central and northeast mississippi
who have patronized and enriched his road for three
quarters of a century, and not commit financial han-
kari (for both Of us) just at this time.
! Mr.. Bevins, we know that your subordinates have
stated that this passenger train, at this time, is losing
money. This Aberdeen branch line, for many years was
nois Central operated. 1t was treated like an orphan
step-child then. The good depots, modern equipment,
of the system. We didn't get them. Even now, if a fair
accounting is made of ALL the traffic handled, and q
good portion of the freight hauled and not ARBITRA-
LILY assigned elsewhere, we believe that the Aberdeen
branch will be found n be making money. 1t will
hold its own with the main line, in this respect, to say
the least of it. Likewise, we believe it will be found
that the passenger revenues would have to be increased
for 'the branch" if you consider that only a few offices
can sell through" tickets and check baggage to des-
tination. About 2-3 of the tickets sold at Durant
to Chicago, st. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans, Shreve-
port, etc. are sold to people from the Aberdeen and
Tchula branches, whose ticket agents did not get the
business-and the main line gets credit for this feeder"
revenue.
Is the lone passenger train now serving us, operated
at a loss? The visiting officials say so. But accountants
could have made the loss twice as large, or three times
as large, had they felt that you desired such figures.
1t is noticed that no itemized statement has ever been
issued as to the loss. Why not give us such a statement,
so we can see just what items made up the 'loss.'
If you were paying your bill at the corner grocery, you
would want such an itemized statement. You wouldn't
go on and blindly swallow his statement that you owe
so much, without specifying the items, and how much
for each. 1t is easy to figure a profit or loss, if one
is inclined to do so, and has the time.
Here are some figures given us by practical rail
way men, as estimates of the actual 'out of pocket
cost of operating this train.
Estimated Cash outlay required to operate pas
senger train on Aberdeen-Durant branch line for one
month";