Caesar's Greyhound

Long has it been supposed that the Pennsylvania Railroad has had working control of the Greyhound Lines, biggest U. S. bus system, serving almost every city in the country on a daily schedule. When news of a cooerdinated bus-rail system came out, this seemed confirmed (TIME, March 10). Last week the first bus on the coeordinated schedule left Manhattan. Travelers scanned timetables with such combinations as:

Leave N. Y. (by bus) 12:01 p. m.

Arrive Harrisburg, Pa. (change to Pullman) 8:15 p. m.

Leave Lima, Ohio (by bus) 11:05 a. m.

Arrive Chicago 6:40 p. m.

Fare: $32.18.

Greyhound. In corporate structure, Greyhound lines is a complicated affair, more complicated than the average railroad. Its central root stretches to Hibbing, Minn., where one Carl Eric Wickman, Swedish immigrant, was working in the mines in 1912. That year the town was moved three or four miles away, and Wickman bought a seven-passenger used Hupmobile, started transporting workers, made $2.25 the first trip. He slowly expanded his service, in 1914 incorporated Mesaba Transportation Co., operated a line from Hibbing to Duluth. In 1924 he joined his lines and some others to form Northland Transportation Co. which a year later was given an exclusive franchise by the Minnesota legislature and then purchased by Great Northern Ry., which paid over $1,000,000 for control.* Wickman sent C. E. ("Ed") Eckstrom to start a line from Chicago to Muskegon, christened it Greyhound Lines.

Greyhound Lines began by losing money, and Wickman sent Orville Swan Caesar to build it up. Once a mechanic's helper, Mr. Caesar entered the bus business by operating a taxi fleet in Superior, Wis., then a small stage line which was later bought by Northland Transportation. He made Greyhound Lines prosper, and as a result now, at the age of 37, is U. S. bus tycoon, President of a corporation with an estimated investment of $16,000,000 and profits (last year), of $1,549,000. He rarely leaves motors and roads to putter on his yacht. But his leisure is increasing: last year he played golf twice, this year has been on the links three times.

Carl Eric Wickman, 42, chief Greyhound advisor, is at present Chairman of the Pacific Greyhound System where he is coordinating things. A great broad-shouldered man who has not lost his Swedish accent, he prefers Eric to Carl, loves sport, lets no one make him write letters, whistles during conferences.

At the top of the present Greyhound structure is Greyhound Corp., a holding company. It controls Greyhound Management Co. which supervises operations of the midwest division. Most of the actual operating companies are not actually controlled, but coordinated schedules have been arranged over the entire system, and affiliated lines are closely bound by use of the word "Greyhound" and by joint purchasing agreements.

Greyhound Lines cover 36,000 miles of road, over which also travel Greyhound motorcycle patrolmen, inspecting roads and checking up on bus driving. Last year 2,264 Greyhound busses (average cost: $8,000), carried 18,000,000 passengers, went 100,000,000 miles, used 19,000,000 gallons of gasoline. Lest patriots feel Greyhound benefits from free highway use, the corporation points out that it pays over $1,000,000 in taxes a year, that the gasoline tax alone would maintain two coast-to-coast highways. Four thousand workers, trained in special schools, are employed. The company carries insurance for each passenger. The safety record is held by the Pittsburgh division with 12,000,000 people carried in four years without a fatality. Between San Francisco and Los Angeles run Greyhound sleeper busses which hold 26 people, have individual wash basins. Starting May 1, the company plans a like service between St. Louis and Kansas City, between Chicago and Detroit.

When a $4,000,000 issue of Greyhound bonds was offered last month, large holders of the common stock were disclosed to be Pennsylvania, Southern Pacific, Insull interests, Goldman Sachs Trading Corp., Automotive Investments, Inc. How much each holds and especially how much Penn, has remained a closely guarded secret.

*Great Northern sold 2/3 of its interest in Northland to Greyhound Corp. in 1929.

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