The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-02-26

pect results? How do you expect
progress? How do you expect initia-
tive and enterprise?
But we need efficient labor as we'll
as capable managers. With such
managers as l have shown you the
government gets hiring the men in
efficient labor is the result. The abili-
ty of an employee under government
ownership would depend upon political
pull instead of business push and
energy. But even outside of this pcli.
teal influence the laxiness and in
competency of government employees
is standing joke. Secretary Shaw,
the financial authority of the United
States. in speaking of the work of his
department said that although the
10000 people in his service were as
good as government employees go he
believed that a private corporation
could do the same amount of work
with one-third the number of labor
erS.
Extravaganza.
Having shown you the kind of man
ayers and men the government get my
last proposition naturally follows:
That the government cannot run a
business on business principles be-
cause of its extravaganza and waste
fulness. In other words, the govern
ment does not heed those economies
OF business on which success depends.
With such managers and labor as the
government gets, how can it? How
can manager whose influence is poll
tical, who has no special preparation
for the business be expected to at
tend to that business, to save in re-
pairs and to utilize by products. The
government printing office is good
example of the way in which a gov
eminent business is managed. Here
we have an immense plant worth ten
million dollars expanding yearly seven
million dollars. Investigation by a
committee has shown that this plant
is turning out inferior work at from
one and one half to ten times the
price charged by private companies.
Extravaganza and lack of business
management are given as the reasons.
Big wages are paid the compositors
but the man who directs this enorm-
GUS expenditure receives only $4,000,
probably the poorest pay for such
work in the United States. On the
first Of this month the business of
printing the stamps was turned over
to the American Bank Note company.
a private corporation, for the reason
that the work could be done by them
enough cheaper to warrant such
change. Put this kind OF business
methods in an enormous industry like
the railroads and the disastrous result
can easily be foretold.
Something Saner.
Instead of taking this rash step let
us rather resort to the saner expedi-
ent. that of government regulation.
Control has not yet been tried to any
great extent in the United States.
The railways have grown up unregu-
lated and the people have just awak-
ened to the fact that something must
be done. What has been done has
proven successful as my colleague will
show. If, then. government owner
ship and operation is so fraught with
political dangers, ii it Is utterly i'm
practicable because of its very nature,
If the government cannot run this
business on business principles, and,
finally, If this policy cannot meet the
immense problem Of development! we
maintain that the federal government
should not own and operate the rail-
roads.
william C. Hpsband.
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentle.
men: Before venturing any further
on the waves of this discussion let