I907.] HAUPT— TRANSPORTATION IN THE UNITED STATES. 175 



is also unwise to attempt to fix rates by legislation since the physical 

 conditions, traffic and character of business and population are the 

 principal elements in the adjusting of tolls which can best be de- 

 termined by the integrity of the officers in charge. 



In a recent lecture on railroad safety devices, Mr. J. C. Irwin, 

 superintendent of construction of the New York Central Railroad 

 stated that " the tremendous prosperity in this country is certainly 

 the cause of the chief troubles in the operation of our roads at the 

 present time. The traffic has increased so rapidly that the efforts 

 to increase facilities have not been able to keep up with it. The in- 

 crease in trackage has been almost nothing in comparison to the 

 tremendous increase in freight tonnage. The large expenditures 

 for modern freight yards have often resulted in little more than 

 additional storage room for cars, mainly from lack of sufficient main 

 line trackage or of properly located warehouse facilities. This over- 

 whelming business has also manifested itself in the demoralization 

 of the operating force. The rates of pay have been constantly in- 

 creased yet the demand for skilled labor makes it almost impossible 

 to get enough good men for the service." 



This is not a recent discovery, however, for as long ago as 1892 

 the president of the Pennsylvania Railroad stated that there was 

 then a larger amount of tonnage tendered to the railways than they 

 were properly able to handle, while at the same time the competi- 

 tion between the transportation lines of the country was more active 

 and the traffic carried at lower rates than at any other period of 

 their history. From these statements it should not be expected 

 that relief will be secured by legislation reducing the maximum 

 tariffs as this would have the double effect of driving some of the 

 smaller lines out of business and also increasing the tonnage on 

 those that remained, resulting in greater delays and risks. 



To ascertain just where the weak spot is located an analysis 

 has been prepared of the most important elements of this problem 

 showing the increments of population, tonnage, trackage, equip- 

 ment and yardage, from which it appears that the railroads are 

 absolutely unable to meet the present demands of traffic, with no 

 possibility of providing for the future excepting by a radical modi- 

 fication of their policy of absorption, by the substitution therefor 



