A. The board of directors thought so.
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. Had there been a falling off in business?
A. The business was very irregular and spurty. Sometimes we were running all the trains we could, and then they would drop off. And rates were not so good as they had been.
Q. From your position, you should judge that was the reason why the reduction was made?
A. I should judge it was a necessity on the part of the management to do it, on account of the condition of the trade of the country.
Q. There had been strikes in other parts of the country before this trouble occurred here—for instance, at Martinsburg?
A. I believe so—from newspaper reports.
Q. Did you have any consultation with the railroad authorities when this occurred—or did you take any measures to avert this?
A. So far as we were concerned, we did not anticipate it.