RAIL ROAD TO RUIN
Railroads Thirty Years late
espite Age Of .Automation
Editor's Note: The Cuban mis.
silc crisis last fall exposed such
slacking defects in the nation's
rail system that U.S. military
men are worried today's railroads
could not do the job in a major
war. Even railway president Jer
vis Langdon of the Baltimore and
Ohio admits that during the crisis
"While we managed to get the
cars that were required by the
military and we managed to get
them by the time they were re
quested, it was not an easy job."
Now a presidential emergency
board is seeking to avert a na
tionwidc rail strike in June over
the bitter work rules controver
sy. This is the first of five re
ports by an experienced business
reporter on what's wrong with
America's ailing transportation
Riant and what's being done to
fix it.
By RAY CROMLEY
Newspaper Enterprise Assn.
FAIRVIEW, Md. NEA -"When
I took over as president
a year ago," said young railroad
president James M. Easter II,
"I found the accounting done
With a quill pen. They'd write in
the job on one line in a ledger;
tjien when it was paid, they'd
cross out that line.
, "You found who owed you by
looking back through the ledger
4nd adding up the accounts that
weren't crossed out."
, Easter installed electronic ac
counting equipment, put his rec
ords on tape. He retired two
thirds of his accounting depart
ment. Now the Baltimore and Annapo
lis Railroad is a very small line
fc be sure. But it is an old one
and its problems typify the prob
lems of the once vigorous industry
vhich played such a major role in
building the United States and
preserving it through two World
Wars.
To learn these problems first'
Hand t talked to railroad presi
dents and railroad men from Kan
Francisco to Chicago, from Wash
ington to New York and at way
points in between.
Quill pens are unusual but an
tiquated accounting systems are
r
M m .;
ill flr' v',::'
( . 'wtmm .11 1 fill ri ill
PLUGS FOR EFFICIENCY
James M. Easter II,
president of the Baltimore
and Annapolis railroad,
threw away the quill pens
in his accounting system in
favor of more efficient
modern methods.
not. Too few railroads know ex
actly what it costs them to carry
a particular commodity. They
don't know where they're making
money, where they're losing. They
aren t sure where they can prof
itably cut prices and win busi
ness and where they can't. A rail
road president I interviewed said
bluntly:
"The railroads as an industry
are 30 years behind the times in
costing techniques."
I've looked at new-type freight
cars that enable railroads to cut
their rates by two-thirds or more
on major commodities and make
more money. Few roads have
them So railroads have Inst Iheir
grain business, or lumber busi
r.ess, or cement business, or fresh
meat and packing house business
in one area or another.
sensational new microwave
communications . computer com
binations are available that would
enable railroads to make better
use of the freight cars they have.
slash their investments for new
cars by 20 per cent. But few rail
roads have these efficient new
electronic systems.
Automatic ticket vendors would
have wide use. But I've always
had to stand in line myself.
The. average railway has failed
to get rid of deadwood among
management and white collar
workers as well as among the
operating union workers. There's
featherbedding all up and down
the line from top to bottom.
Tlie result: railroad payrolls ac
count for 67 per cent of rail oper
ating expenses, compared to 32
per cent in manufacturing.
Government sources foresee the
strong possibility of a national
railroad strike this year clinching
the years long battle over wheth
er management can drop the
firemen it believes are feather-'
bedding in diesel engines on
freight runs and in yards. A re
cent Supreme Court decree threw
the problem right back at man
agement and the unions after a
special presidential commission
had recommended gradually drop
ping these tiremen.
Rail union officials deny the
featherbedding charge; they also
point to a 50 per cent decline in
the number of railroad jobs dur
ing the postwar years from 1,400,
000 to 700,000. Union men I talk
to say the roads' big problem is
that they don t go after new busi
ness with vigor that truckers and
airlines do. Certainly most rail
roads have not matched their!
road and sky competition in pam
pering their customers whether
passengers or freight shippers.
I took a train ride, on one of
the nation's largest lines, just re
cently. The train was late, slow,
dirty, jerky, crowded. There was
no steward or porter visible: a
man rushed through taking tick
ets arguing with passengers. I
took a plane back, the cost only
few dollars more. The trip
took an eighth as long. There was
an attractive stewardess. I was of
fered a magazine, coffee, a meal
at no extra cost. The plane was
clean, uncrowded.
Shippers make the same com
plaintsslow trains, jerky rides
that damage their cargoes, lack
of interest in special services the
truck lines are eager to give. 1
recently ordered a steel filing cab
inet. It arrived damaged; so I
turned it back. Then I ordered a
wooden cupboard. It also came by!
train and I had to go to the sta
tion in a neighboring city to pick!
it up. It was damaged but I was!
discouraged and decided to re
pair it myself -rather than go
through the bother of sending it
back. Then I ordered a storage
shed. It arrived damaged and I
returned it. A replacement that
arrived several months later was
also damaged and returned.
Nationwide figures indicate the
annual loss as a result of break
age, delayed delivery and the
costs of extra bracing and pack
aging on jerky railroads results in
a new loss of $200 million a year.
Those extra costs mean higher
prices for you.
In 1930, the railroads hauled 75
per cent of intercity freight. This
year they'll carry less than 40
per cent.
In this gloomy situation, a few
roads stand out. They are headed
by imaginative, tough men. They
are trying new ideas, buying
new equipment, seeking ways to'
pamper passengers and ship
pers. Some are meeting the com
petition by joining it, making
acals with truck lines or organiz
ing their own truck pipe lines.
But the antiquated, poorly man
aged railways are millstones
V U4
? '.1 1
K
TWILIGHT ON THE ROAD Which way to a new
dawn? This question is answered in part by this new series
starting today.
Because of through travel, the
average railroad normally has
less than half its own freight cars
on its own road. If it builds mod-
around me necKS oi mese ener-
getic roaas.
Highly automated freight yards
in some railroad systems are can-i
celled out by old methods used
on other lines. On a dozen suc
cessive days I've passed by one
oi the prize automated yards in
the U.S. and seen cars stalled
eight to 12 hours before being
shifted from one rail line to the
next so they could continue their
journey.
If a hell-bcnt-for-lcather rail
president wants to offer his cus
tomers faster service, he beefs
up his schedules, speeds up his
trains, delivers his cars with their
loads rapidly to the end of his
line. But if the service on the
next connecting road is bad, the
customer may decide to ship by
truck next time.
Or lake passenger trains. - Ev
ery four weeks I pick up my
wife's mother at a nearby sta
tion. Four out of five times I
meet the train, it is an hour to
an hour and a half late. I talked
to the president of that line. He
said his trains move on time;
the delay is in the line that oper
ates the ears the first leg of the
journey. But the passengers blame
his line because it is the one
that lands them where they want
to go late.
ern, elficient cars, halt are nor
mally in use on oilier lines. "So
why should I buy new, expen
sive cars," says one railroad pres
ident. "It costs me a lot of money;
then I've got them only half
the time. A good many of the
cars I get from other roads are
broken-down cars from inefficient
lines."
Union officials say such condi
tions often aren t necessary,
They say the roads are" really
earning big profits, but hiding
them in complicated mter-compa-
ny balance sheets. They say the
lines would be better off if they
put their money into wages for
employes and new equipment.
But railroad managers insist
their problem is dollars. They say
profits have slipped to an average
of 2i per cent on investment.
Many railroads are saddled with
the past; heavy debts make it
difficult to attract new money
They say they're taxed much
higher than truck, barge and air
lines. But most of all, they com
plain about government regulations.
(Next: The Mishmash of Laws
and Regulations.)
Peace Corps
Tests Dated
On April 27
The spring placement test for
applicants interested in being con
sidered for Peace Corps assign
ments will be held in Room 202
of the Post Office building on
April 27, beginning at 8:30 a.m.
General qualifications for Peaci
Corps projects include a minimum
age of 18, U.S. citizenship, suund
health, maturity, initiative and
above all a desire to serve. Mar
ried couples are eligible in some
projects if both qualify and they
have no dependent children.
Volunteers serve for two years,
including training. They receive
allowances to cover clothing, food,
housing, medical care and inci
dentals, plus a readjustment al
lowance at the termination of
their service of about $1,800 based
on $75 for each month of service.
Seven countries have asked the
Peace Corps for volunteers who
know how to operate and repair
farm machinery. Especially need
ed are agricultural mechanics who
can offer ingenuity and common
sense along with their knowledge
Training will begin early this
summer for Peace Corps projects
in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Gui
nea, Malaya, Pakistan and Sene
gal. All of these projects need
volunteers with rural backgrounds
who have had training and expe
rience in maintaining farm equip
ment.
In Chile, for example, the vol
unteers will form a demonstra
tion team to travel from one ag-
lcultural high school to another.
They will be working not only
with the students in these schools,
but also with the farmers in
neighboring communities. Similar
ly, in the other countries, the vol
unteers will teach machinery oper
ation and maintenance to their
co-workers at experimental sta
tions and to local farmers
through the extension service.
Experience in a number of coun-l
tries where volunteers already at
work has shown that ingenuity is
must for Peace Corps me
chanics. In most places there is
a variety of machinery, and parts
arc difficult or impossible to ob
tain. Rather than face the long
delay of ordering parts that must
be imported, volunteers have1
found it helpful to be able to
make them on the spot. Two vol
unteers in Pakistan have intro
duced regular schedules for lubri
eating and inspecting machinery
to catch small defects early as
part of their efforts to teach pro
ventive maintenance.
Applications and information on
these and other projects may be
obtained from County Agent Bev
erly Bower in her office on the
second floor of the Post Office
building, or by writing Jim Gib
son, Peace Corps; Division of
Agricultural Affairs, Washington,
25. D.C.
.Monday, April 22, 1961 PAGE 3
HERALD AND NEWS, Klamath Falls, Oregon
"DENNIS THE MENACE"
MILITARY SHIPMENT Railroads did an outstanding
job in World War II, but with antiquated methods, their
effectiveness is in doubt should there be another major,
war.
AUTOMATED CONTROL This is a view of the interior
of an automated freight yard control tower panel. Few
railroads have these efficient electronic systems.
REPAIR SHOP A view of a diesel engine in a repair
shop. In some railroads over one fourth of the equipment
is laid up for repairs.
40,000 Deaths Predicted From Smoke-Caused Lung Cancer
'AUbsapet wants to knowthe size cp that easy eiroOENM?
FOUND. IS IT TNV;TEEN-irVENy; OR TSm-mM-ZBW?
English Police Hunt
Spy Pamphlet Authors
LONDON (UPD-Police extend
ed their hunt to the provinces
Saturday for the authors of a
"spies-for-peacc" pamphlet which
gave details of government plans
for dispersal in the event of atom
ic war.
The main scene of action was
Keele University in the Midlands
where 500 abridged copies of the
"ban-the-bomb" leaflet were cir
culated at a conference of the
National Union of Students.
Detectives spent most of the
morning taking statements from
student delegates. But there was
nothing to indicate they got any
closer to the origins of the pam
phlet than they did in earlier
raids on homes in London.
The police drive was aimed
mainly at strengthening the posi
tion of Prime Minister Harold
M a c m i 1 1 a n when parliament
meets on Tuesday after the East
er recess. Labor members have
tabled eight questions on the
pamphlet whose main effect lay
in the political damage it can in
flict on the Macmillan team.
The police call on the student's
conference stemmed from the ad
mission of 19-ycar - old student
Martin Lomey that he was re
sponsible for printing and distri
buting abridged copies of the
pamphlet.
Lomey, head of the Bradford
delegation at the conference, told
police he picked up the original
pamphlet during the Easter week
end "ban-the-bomb" march at
which the pamphlet first appear
ed. Police seized several documents
at the conference, but an inspec
tor said: "We don't know whether
there will be any further action."
DOWNTOWN
OFFICE SPACE
Inquire At
GUN STORE
714 Main
fUX TOW
jtn sum mm msi. twismtf . n. Kentucky smicm bourbon whcsket m nm. kentucxt bumed whisket k woof, gsx (mik uromi sum
! Should you smoke cigarettes? ,
The American Cancer Society
suggests that everyone know the
facts about lung cancer before de
ciding. ' About 40.000 men and women
in the United States will die of
lung cancer this year, if the
present trend continues, said
Mrs. John Dickinson, publicity
chairman of the local chapter of
the Cancer Society.
, About 30.000 of the anticipat
ed deaths would not occur if the
Victims had not started smoking
cigarettes, the Klamath County
Medical Society said further.
' Abstaining from cigarettes would
also save the lives of additional
thousands who will die this year
of various types of cancer relat
ed to smoking, such as cancer
ol the lip, mouth, tongue, iarnyx
and esophagus, the society disclosed.
i "There are about as many can
ter deaths caused by cigarette
jmoking as there are deaths
Caused by automobile accidents,"
the Klamath County Medical So
ciety said.
For this reason, the Ameri
can aCncer Society during its
April educational and fund-raising
Crusade is stressing the health
hazards of cigarette smoking.
If about 30.000 lives in the
United States can be saved from
lung cancer by not sflioking ciga
rettes, it is the responsibility of
the American Cancer Society to
so inform the public," the Klam
ath County Medical Society said.
The public should know that
cigarette smoking is also rcspon
sible for many of the- lives lost
each year to cancer of the mouth
tongue, lip, larynx, and csopha
gus," it was said.
The Klamath County Medical
Society pointed out that t h e
American Cancer Society's main
concern is to get the facts to the
public about the hazards involved
in cigarette smoking "so that
the individual can make a realis
tic decision of whether to smoke
or not to smoke."
The American Cancer Society
is particularly active in its ef
forts to reach physicians and teen
agers. Cited was a recent study
which showed that at least one
out, of four physicians had given
up cigarette smoking since 1954.
Today three out of five physicians
in the United States do not smoke
cigarettes.
In its educational effort among
teen-agers, the Klamath County
Medical Society said, the Ameri
can Cancer Society seeks to make
clear to them the hazards in
starting to smoke and the diff'-
R & M T.V.
HOUSE CALLS
$3.00
Phone TU 2-6895
cultics in breaking the smoking
habit once it has been established.
Already the American Cancer
Society has reached more than
half of the secondary schools in
the country with the facts about
smoking; its goal is to reach them
all.
The Klamath County .Medical
Society said that non-smoking men
at the age of 35 have only a 23
per cent chance of dying before
the age of 65. But with cigarette
smokers, if you smoke one to two
packs a day. you have a 38 per
cent chance of dying before age
65. If you smoke two or more
packs a day, it is a 41 per cent
chance.
"The facts," said the Klamath
County Medical Society, "adds up
to the conclusion that lung can
cer is a preventable disease which
could almost be eliminated as a
cause of death. The American
Cancer Society believes it has a
i-espoasibility to do everything pos
sible to reduce the alarming death
rate from lung cancer which has
increased over 900 per cent since
1932.
ROSES
58 selections to choose from.
No. 1 Grodo only. Plont
now for best results.
Baker's Landscape Nursery
6200 So. 6lh TU 2-5553
ROCK!
Crushed Drain Rock
Sand - Fill Dirt
Free Estimates
BASIN ROCK CO.
Vim Gry TU -l-MItt or T IJ 4-5076
OPEN
8 a.m. to
10 p.m.
Every Day!
MAKE A DATE WITH US
FOR APRIL 27 or 28!
Turn off U.S. Highway 97 between Weed end Macdoel,
travel 13 miles Eoit to the ghost town of
TENNANT
Magnificent Panderosa pint strewn streets Turn of
the century peact and quiet Fish, hunt, or relax.
Two or three bedroom year-round resort cottoget for
long or short term lease.
Advise By April 25 You Are
Coming and We Will Feed You!
Call or Write
Tennant Agency, Inc., P.O. Box 15
GIGANTIC
2-DAY
i
734
So. 6th
FREE DRYING!
Yes! DO ALL YOUR CLOTHES DRYING FREE, no
matter how much wash you bring in. But hurry!
Offer good Tuesday and Wednesday only!
J. W. KERNS
rUataaoMMi
GDlsSft EE
LAUNDRY AND CLEANING
W I I I iCV C3 E
the mild, smooth whiskey
for modern tastes
People with a taste for today's good living, people like you
-like Sunny Brook. This smooth, flawless Kentucky whiskey
has a nationwide reputation for superb taste. Try it, tonight,
t
How do you like your whiskey?
Smooth and mild ? Smooth and extra mild ?
BUY THE STRAIGHT BUY THE BLEND
.if
5
S2
BROOK gtJNNY
BROOK
umnwHunr ; ""t
I
Phone
TU 4-4197
$80 $0S
T i Qt. J ft.
Bray, California
Ph. Tennant Toll Station No. 5
i Qt. Pi.