The producers news. [volume], October 04, 1918, Page 7, Image 7

About The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
Government Admia
istration of Railroads
A Reply to Its Critics
The critics of railway operation
under Government management have
en answered in a statement recent.
Sissued by Theodore H. Price, who
l sos actuary to the United States
Iilroad Administration at Washing.
to!
Plentywood Bakery'
Groceries, Butter, Eggs,
Cream, Ice Cream and
Cold Drinks
LIGHT LUNCHES.SERVED ALL DAY
ED WEISS, Proprietor
Practical Plumbing
r in all its branches is our special
work. Having a thorough know
ledge of the modern practice of
Plumbing we are familiar with the
scientific and up-to-date principles
of the trade. We employ none but
experienced help and use only the
very best materials. Our work is
" careful and thorough and we do it
promptly. We give thoroughly good
work at very moderate prices.
Alfred Garneau
Plentywood, - - - - Montana'
uction Sale
The success of an Auction Sale all depends upon the number of pros
ive buyers present, the property for sale, and the auctioneer. To se
e the prospective buyers, it is necessary that you let the buyers know
~ where, and what you have for sale, and that means that you must
ertise. You may or may not know something about advertising, but
t doesn't make any difference if you will write out the place, date,
- auctioneer and clerk, a description of the property you have for
and your name, and either send or bring it to
e Producers News Office
Plentywood, Montana
N. J. NELSON & CO.,
Pioneer Merchant. of
Outlook. Montana
Carry the Largest Stock of General
MIerchandise in This Part of Sheridan
County.
Price and Quality Always Right.
N. J. NELSON &7C-.
"The Old Reliable P ic
i/
Mr. ?r14 bat t her
the vardos Cffi.a I o:
1. Te T in freight and
PMSehger ratss,
2. The abolition of the through
bill of lading for export freight and
te cancellation of export and impor%
rates.
3. .The dis'mijl of solicitors who
"toqau an interest in the handling of
the tfi~iec" and the consolidation of
freight and ticket offices.
4. The withdrawal of the credit
pIarM sly allowed in the matter of
freight chargus which must now b3
paid before or upon the delivery of
the gods unless the consignee gives
a bond that will protect the Govern
ment.
5. The difficulty of getting infor
mation regarding tariffs and rates.
6. The discontinuance of the pack
age car service between important
jobbing and consuming sections.
7. The withdrawal of the shippers'
r.ght to route their freight as they
choose.
Mr. Price also quotes the following
editorial from a p6rminent daily
newspaper:
"We have now some details as to
1he first five months of government
operation of the railways; and while
it is far too soon to pass any judg
ment, two facts stand out very
strongly and are worthy of note.
"The first is that in these five
months, on the face of the figures,
the roads carried slightly less ton
mileage than in 1917. This, in spite
of the tremendous pressures of war
and of the known increase in many
lines of production, is certainly very
significant. Extra,,traffic has been
carried in other ways, largely, as we
know, by motor trucks.
"The second fact is that the num
ber of available locomotives and cars
remained practically the same as in
the first part of 1917. There was no
increase. The roads were taken ov
er for their supposed inefficiency. But
the government, with all its money
and power, has found it easier to ac
quire experience than to increase the
efficiency of the railroad machine.
"After five months of unlimited
credit and power there is no increase
in cars or locomotives, or rail move
ment, or tonnage hauled. To move
their incireased traffic the industries
of the country have had to resort to
the highly expensive carriage by mot
or trucks over country roads. This
may have been unavoidable, and the
railway administration, like the fuel
bureau, may have done everything
possible. It may prove its wonderful
efficiency and high superiority in
time. We merely point out there Is
no evidence yet that the Government
is performing no miracles that might
not have been expected of the roads
themselves, if they had simply had
enough money to go ahead in their
ordinary way."
Mr. Price says that this is a fairly
complete summary of that criticism
that is being directed at Govern
mental administration of the rail
ways, and after quoting the statis
tics upon which it purports to be
based he adds that while they show
that the number of tons of freight
carried one mile during the first five
months of the year was 0.6 per cent
last year, they also show that the
loaded car freight was 552,68,512
miles, or 8.6 per cent less than the
distance traveled under private man
agement in the carriage of nearly
the same ton mileage of revelue
freight during the same period in
1917.
Dealing with the reduction in the
average daily mileage of locomotives
and freight cars, he points dut that
this is due to the heavier train load
and(car load, and explains that it is
not economically practical to haul
heavy trains as fast as light ones,
and that the Railroad Administration
has adopted the policy of loading
trains to capacity and moving them,
on schedules that are not too fast
to be maintained.
This showing, he claims, indicates
not' inefficiency, but a striking in
crease in the efficiency with which the
railroads are being operated, and as
serts that it is directly due to the
heavier loading of the frieght cars
and the greater train load now pulled
by each engine.
He continues as follows:
The average carload has been in
creased from 26.2 to 28.5 tons, or 8.8
per cent. If this ratio is maintained,
it will be the equivalent of an addi
Lion of 8.8 per cent, or 211,200 freight
cars to the present, equipment of
about 2,400,000 cars, and if the ratio
of increase in the train load, equal to
2.7 per cent, is miintained, it will be
the equivalent of adding about 1,750
to the present equipment of some
85,000 locomotives of all sorts.
Surely this is better than buying
new cars and locomotives at a time
when they can only. be had at extra
vagant prices and the manufacturing
energies of the country- are overtaxed
to piovide the things required for the
winning of the war.
Instead of proving the iref.cieniy
of Gvero mt Infalng these
$uores fuis1 the strongest possible
prof of its efficiency and wisdom in
demonstrng yta the pld cars and
engines aare beig mader to do more
o~rk tPaO forme d pri
vat*
_ - . j .
y,
,weeks ending Juily 27, '18, and cor
responding 4 weeks previous year.
Cars. Tonnage
E 1918..................... 100228 3,023,207
1917..............----.....107,158 2,752,765
These figures show an increase of
9 per cent in the tonnage and a de
crease of 7 per cent in the cars used.
The number of tons per car in July,
this year, is 30.2 as against 25.7 tons
in the same period last year. The
increase of 18 per cent, if it were
general throughout the country,
would be the equivalent of an addi
tion of 'about 432,000 cars to the
freight car equipment of the rail
roads.
Although the Government has re
cently ordered 100,000 new freight
cars and about 4,000 engines have
been under order for a long time, to
provide for the expected increase in
the traffic, they cannot be turned out
in a day and while.waiting for them
the present capacity of motive power
and rolling stock is being scientifical
ly increased, not only by increasing
the car load and train load, but by
sending the traffic over the shortest
and least resistant routes without re
gard to the caprice of the shipper.
Moreover, priority has been given to
orders for the large number of loco
motives required by General Persh
ing for military operations in France
and the locomotive worets have been
thereby prevented from delivering
promptly the engines ordered for the
railroads.
In several cases the distance that
freight ini transit between the two
important cities formerly traveled
has been shortened by from 200 to
500 miles and in one instance recent
ly some 8,999 cars carrying freight
between two western cities were
within a period of sixty days re
routed so as to effect a saving of
195 miles in the mileage traveled by
each car. This was the equivalent
of 1,754,644 car miles, which at six
cents a car mile means a saving of
$105,728.
As to the alleged movement of
freight by motor trucks it can only
be said that the Government is mov
ing regular freight and passenger
,trains promptly, notwithstanding the
extra tax imposed on its facilities by
a troop movement now averaging 1,
100,000 men per month, that there is
no freight congestion or delay, that
the cars supplied to the coal mines
are now in excess of the daily load
ings anid that if shippers are send
ing their goods in unusual quantities
by motor truck, which is not provable
and is doubtful, their action is not
the result of a lack of railway trans
portation.
In fact, the Railroad Administra
tion has of late been urging merch
ants to take advantage of the pres
ent carrying ability of the railways
to stock up against their winter's
xceds ,when weather conditions make
,train operation more difficult.
Of the other items in the indict
ment of government operation of the
railways referred to it Mr. Price re-'
marks:
1. That the advance in the cost of
transportation is less than the ad
vance in wages and the price of al
most every other commodity that so
ciety requires.
2. That through bills of lading for
export cannot be issued because the
Government has preempted the ocean
room and there is no assurance that
the goods can be forwarded upon ar
rival at the seaboard.
3. That as competition between
the railroads no longer .exists there
is no occasion for competitive solici
tors and ticket offices and that their
abandontment will save the railroads
about $23,000,000 annually.
4. That the Government is not
authorized to extend credit to con
signees for the freight they owe when
the goods are delivered, and that it
cannot exceed its legal authority.
5. That a new and simplified clas
sification and rate book has been pre
pared and will be effective and avail
able as soon as the shippers them
selves approve it.
6. That a continuance of the pack
age car service would have involve.d
a wasteful use of facilities that are
needed for the winning of the war,
and
7. That if shippers were allowed
to select routes by which their freight
would be carried, the efficiency and
economy that are shown to have been
secured by re-routing could not have
been obtained.
To this categorical refutation of
the grievanges alleged by complain
ants whose attitude reminds one of
the couplet which runs
"The good old times
All times are good when old,"
and suggests that they are to be
classed with the chronic rewtie -
aries and oponents fa g prgress, I
'a only add that two .moth' lose
ady of what asbeen and be
doPe nder &a =iAd t
{a incryssba the Cpr Sbable E.
Sthte
1IIDsnwgksts
~g -~ ·~'~;
§Jhr
Red Cross Can'tBe
Used By Politicians
Members of the Nonpartisan
league, who have universally and en
thusiastically supported the splendid
work of the American Red Cross,
will find an added reason for giving
their money and work to this cause
in recent official instructions of
George E. Scott, acting general
manager of the national Red Cross,
to various divisions of the organiza
tion in America.
Mr. Scott has sat down on the at
tempted use in some quarters of the
Red Cross for political purposes.
His instructions absolutely bar poli
tics from the Red Cross, which he
truly says is nonsectarian, nonpo
litical and nonfactional.
In several instances local or state
Red Cross officials in the past have
taken an active part in the campaign
against the Nonpartisan league and
its political candidates, in some cases
using their positions in the Red
Cross and Red Cross organization, di
rectly or indirectly, to further the in
terests of politicians and candidates
opposed to the organized farmers.
This has not interfered with the
League members generously support
ing the Red Cross, for League mem
bers have recognized that these local
officials were misusing their office
and were stooping to mean attacks
on the League, contrary to the spirit
of Red Cross work and in violation
of the wishes of the national officers
of the organization.
In North Dakota a Red Cross of
ficial used his position in the Red
Cross shamelessly as a cover from
which to attack the farmers' organi
zation, and recently there has been a
report of a soldier touring South Da
kota under auspices of the Red
Cross, who is devoting a large part
of his speeches to political attacks
on the League. There have been oth
er instances.
The announcement of the national
manager of the Red Cross will put
a stop to this. In case it does not,
League members should call atten
tion of Red Cross officials to the fol
lowing instructions of the nati6nal
officers, and if the violation of these
instructions continues, f a r m e r s
should appeal the matter by letter to
the national officers of the Red Cross.
Following are the instructions to all
division, state and local officers and
workers in the Red Cross:
"The Red Cross is and must be
maintained a strictly nonpartisan,
nonpolitical organization. Member
ship in the Red Cross includes so
many men of prominence in its work
that it is not unlikely that many will
be candidates for office. No matter
how sincerely any Red Cross officiaj
or woirker may strive to keep separ
ate his Red Cross work from political
ambitions he may, and probably will,
be quite unable to prevent hiA friends
from using his connection with the
Red Cross to gain favor with voters.
"While such action can not be con
trolled, all candidates should realize
that they must do all in their piwer
to prevent the public from gaining
an impression that political prefer
meni can or should directly or indi
'ecetly be affected by Red Cross
wo.ork either at home or abroad. The
te-xt of Reed Cross ;service to mankind
is :. ,mped by the approval of the
American ,people, regardless of poli
tics, race or religion. No taint of
selfishness or self-seeking can be al
lowed to creep into the work endan
gering, and " 'n perhaps destroying,
ic, great acc mplishment.
"Accord'n, .y, the Red Cross war
council in:tructs me to direct that
you it quest i,. o.fikials cf the Refc
Cross either .: chapters or division
headqua rters, :.ho are in arLy posi
tion of cxecul've authority, anc, who
at the sale time contemplat3 candi
dacy f:::. ' .i;, s office, either to re
sign in their official capacity from
The Red Cross or to ref r'n' fron
such candidacy. We ask that you
use every influence to prevent the
u;se of the Red Cross or of its ser-
vices in the political campaign of any!
person."
So passes an almost unbelievable
situation. In Minnesota, thousands
of dollars of Red Cross contributions
were turned down by small-town of
ficials who did not like the organized
fa. flers who contributed. No League
xt3eting was held without a co!lec
tron for war relief being taken up.
This money more often than not was
refused by local representatives. In
such case it was sent to nIational Red
Cross headquarters.
National Red Cross of.cers were
i ao way responsible for this conkl
tion. The fult rested with overotl
dio poiticl aspirants who wlshed
o prove orgauized faimer were un
'ERY3~ AT OUTSiLO
A country worth fighting for is a
country worth saving for. Buy War
Saving Stamps.
TheBest Job Prnting
THE PRODUCERS NEWS
Old Rags Wanted-Ten
cents a pound paid for old
rags must be clean. Office
LELAND HOTEL
PLENTYWOOD. MONT.
New Addition
Make your headquarters
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PLEASANT ROOMS
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We Want
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We Sell More Than 100 Brands of
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If we have not got the brand you
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The Largest Exclusive Tobacco
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Makers of El Zero Cigars-
Montana's Greatest Smoke
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CIGAR COMPANY
Second Door Up Town From Depot.
PLENTYWOOD -:- MONTANA
DELCO-LIGHT
Runs on
Kerosene or Gas
Figure what this means in
twenty years' time.
Suppose you use 536 elec
trical horse power or 400 kilo
watts of electricity a year.
Delco-Light will make an av
erage 4 kliowatts to the gal
lon of kerosene. Therefore if
you use 400 kilowatts, this
means you would use 100 gal
lons of kerosene a year at a
cost of 20 cents a gallon. This
equals $20.00 a year operating
cost for fuel, or in .twenty
years $400.00.
Let us suppose, however, that
you had to use gasoline, which
cost 35 cents a gallon. This
would make the yearly cost
$35.00, or in twenty years,
$700.00.
Due to the fact, therefore,
that. DELCO-LIGHT runs on
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twenty years the difference be
tween $70.00 and $400.00, or
Itn't that worth consldering?
Write or Wire
A+ 0. HEDBERS
'~~-mtb~b 1 i;~