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Domestic News
December 18, 1917
The Abbeville Press And Banner
Abbeville, Abbeville County, South Carolina
What is this article about?
Henry Ford, in a statement released in New York on Dec. 15, calls for a unified national railroad system, lighter cars and locomotives to cut dead weight, and criticizes fragmented companies and banker control.
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FORD FOR UNIFIED
RAILROAD
SYSTEM
Manufacturer Says There Are Too
Many Companies Looking After
Themselves—Lighter Cars
His Plan,
New York, Dec. 15.—Henry Ford,
automobile manufacturer in a statement
made public for him yesterday, declared that locomotives and
cars were too heavy and should be
made lighter. He said that four-
fifths of the work of the railroads
was in hauling dead weight and
pointed out that the rolling stock on
a passenger train was 50 to 100
times as heavy as the people hauled.
"Who would carry home 25 pounds
of flour in a hundred pound market
basket?" he asked. Mr. Ford said
it was time to stop trying to solve
the railroad problem by bookkeeping
in Wall Street and that the time
had come to tackle the problem
practically.
"The United States needs one unified railroad system tying together
all parts of the country," the statement says. "Instead, we have hundreds of separate railroad companies, each looking after itself or trying to get the best of its neighbors.
"Through the proxy system control of our railroads has passed
largely to bankers living in New
York and other large cities. The
banker-managers were like a factory owner who sits the whole time
in his office without ever going into
the shop to see how the work is being done. These bankers were busy
in their offices with bonds, stocks,
commissions and syndicate arrangements— but who ever saw them go
to a point of congestion or railroad
trouble to see what was the matter with their railroad?
"Transportation, like agriculture,
and manufacture, is a basic industry. Railroad management requires
technically trained men who know
how to run engines, machines, dig
tunnels and design better equipment.
Says Cars Are Too Heavy.
"Heavy cars require heavy engines, more coal, heavier bridges,
heavier rails, greater strains in
starting and stopping and result in
increased waste and depreciation.
Four-fifths of a railroad's work is
hauling the deadweight of its own
wastefully heavy engines and cars.
This is why railroad presidents have
such a hard time to figure out
freight and passenger rates high
enough on the 20 per cent of live
load to cover the cost of hauling
this 80 per cent of deadweight.
Urges Railroad Unity.
"Population should be more evenly distributed over our land. We
must unify our railroads into a single national system whose first purpose is to give transportation services.'
RAILROAD
SYSTEM
Manufacturer Says There Are Too
Many Companies Looking After
Themselves—Lighter Cars
His Plan,
New York, Dec. 15.—Henry Ford,
automobile manufacturer in a statement
made public for him yesterday, declared that locomotives and
cars were too heavy and should be
made lighter. He said that four-
fifths of the work of the railroads
was in hauling dead weight and
pointed out that the rolling stock on
a passenger train was 50 to 100
times as heavy as the people hauled.
"Who would carry home 25 pounds
of flour in a hundred pound market
basket?" he asked. Mr. Ford said
it was time to stop trying to solve
the railroad problem by bookkeeping
in Wall Street and that the time
had come to tackle the problem
practically.
"The United States needs one unified railroad system tying together
all parts of the country," the statement says. "Instead, we have hundreds of separate railroad companies, each looking after itself or trying to get the best of its neighbors.
"Through the proxy system control of our railroads has passed
largely to bankers living in New
York and other large cities. The
banker-managers were like a factory owner who sits the whole time
in his office without ever going into
the shop to see how the work is being done. These bankers were busy
in their offices with bonds, stocks,
commissions and syndicate arrangements— but who ever saw them go
to a point of congestion or railroad
trouble to see what was the matter with their railroad?
"Transportation, like agriculture,
and manufacture, is a basic industry. Railroad management requires
technically trained men who know
how to run engines, machines, dig
tunnels and design better equipment.
Says Cars Are Too Heavy.
"Heavy cars require heavy engines, more coal, heavier bridges,
heavier rails, greater strains in
starting and stopping and result in
increased waste and depreciation.
Four-fifths of a railroad's work is
hauling the deadweight of its own
wastefully heavy engines and cars.
This is why railroad presidents have
such a hard time to figure out
freight and passenger rates high
enough on the 20 per cent of live
load to cover the cost of hauling
this 80 per cent of deadweight.
Urges Railroad Unity.
"Population should be more evenly distributed over our land. We
must unify our railroads into a single national system whose first purpose is to give transportation services.'
What sub-type of article is it?
Economic
Transportation
What keywords are associated?
Henry Ford
Unified Railroad
Lighter Cars
Railroad Criticism
Dead Weight
Banker Control
What entities or persons were involved?
Henry Ford
Where did it happen?
New York
Domestic News Details
Primary Location
New York
Event Date
Dec. 15
Key Persons
Henry Ford
Event Details
Henry Ford declared locomotives and cars too heavy, with four-fifths of railroad work hauling dead weight. He advocated for lighter equipment, criticized fragmented companies and banker control via proxy system, and called for a unified national railroad system managed by technically trained men to provide efficient transportation services.