New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-04-01
WITH MR.. HILL.
Railroad Man and Financier Ssp
Roads Must Look to Waterwags

Comment was rife among railroad men veste~s,-
On the interview with James J. EIH published :
yesterdays Tribune. in which the Great ys-.r.
ern president said that immediate relief ~ 81,
freight congestion must come through federal I'm
provernen: OF water ways. There was r,srt.4
disposition among hnancers and railroad ruau q,
agree with Mr. Hill that the country had neeIscs4
valuable national asset.
man prominent IN both railroad ard financial
circles said that the railroads had come n uas,
where they were unable 20 handle the business
they had created. Furthermore he said they vs-,
unable 10 make Improvements fast enough to kss,
UP with the advances being made IN freght Great
ing industries. He also pointed out the need Tor
immediate improvement in the waterways Of the
country.
Every railway IN country creates It's own
business he said. Likewise every Improvements
draws business THIS Is true OF passenger
traffic and times true OF freight We no sooner
get a magnificent new terminal constructed than
we ind IL unable 20 handle the business II has az
tracted.
Framed up in this way the proposition looks
hopeless OF solution. doesn't IT. One would almost
say that the best way get rid OF an the troubls
was simply to quit improving. Let everything slide
back into rut. let the business OF the country
go 20 smash. and you wouldn't have any freight
problem. That might do for Central America brit
II certainly would not do for this country No
we have given birth 70 the child OF prosperity an1
Will have nurture IT, even though II gets 50
large and strong that it's burden Is almost unbear
able
Now. railways and their management are no
more perfect than anything else dependent upon
for its being There plenty Of places
where improvements are necessary and criticism
Just But they no TO blame for freight
congestion than they are for eclipse OF the
moon. II simply can't be helped certainly not BY
legislation that viii undermine the whole fabric %
our prosperity. That might do It the way
IT of sickness cures of lot OF bodily ills
You make the country sick enough-say as sick
It was 1S93-and YOU Will find that you have no
freight confession problem
But the way TO help solve the problem. partly
at least. is In waterways. Congressman and
legislators generally have been assailing the rail-
roads for a condition which lamentaos
enough. 1 admit bur for which they themselves
were partly blame. II they had gone at the
work Of improving the waterways and gone at Il
In a whole-hearted spirit. with the regard for
public interests which they accuse the railroads Of
not having. this freight congestion would speedily
be done away with; the railroads would have all
thew could handle in the fast freight business
which shows the larger margin OF profit. and the
country altogether would be IN a healthier state
The country must not look wholly 70 private m
terests to solve public problems.
Take the case OF the great railway terminals
near New York. They have nearly all suffered
from the same congestion that has bothered rai-
WAYS all over the country II has been aggravated
I'm this case by the stupendOus improvements some
OF them have had under way Now. Of course no
one can tell just what effect the barge canal wouN
have had on this situation. but I firmly believe
that had the harbor been improved 50 that Il
would have been possible to have transferred doNa
the bay or out Of Jamaica Bay slow freight olled
out of the West and Northwest for export con
ditIons would not have been so bad
The Hudson and New York HarbOr made Ne"
York State and now New York state nesees
them. The same is true of every great stare ="
city in the country to whose success Hiis"@
waterway has contributed
There are 50 many points at which improve
merts could be made advantsgeo that II =
impossible to name them all. A deepening or tas
channel Of the Ohio would benefit PittShurs anu
oil other cities its banks more Than the Ias
can hope to in years y would oen ne H. S,isssspi
would aid those in the West and Southwsss -. IA.
Asked what he thought OF the slogan OF llH.SS-Sa
tiOnaI Rivers and Harbors Congress- i.rose-
appropriation year LOT Va TsTIieS. II tafuE
they have set their Hnt az q NsiS Sj.5t corausts
Fifty millions year In ten years mlsns 0ts anf
keep in condition those already improved out Hs4'
more than that can be expected OF IT. -. ar.us
that they could not compete with the ratlroas;
point proof Of their stateeHt 90 So tSsr rivers
s, 81 "a, rS., N,Svt They are arguing right into
hands OF those who favor a diuereht S''''"
.sTbs, reason why the waterWays-cauais So, - Win
AZ Trars~vere unable to compete Successi"sss thss
railroads. in the movement Of slow treiS ol f1r
rr@cticoIIv all water transportation - $50 N
DOJ,--yyaS that the railroads were IN tus Iarss
nrJate Interests aud were never SuIIefe1 ~
Put the railways IN the n,lnIs 81 rv,te interests
ava turD the waterways over TO PttNNS'Sz 80 ~
and I venture to say that 90 49, St.s has hap
-oToa thing baDDeu 70 the railroads tha1 "''
pPned to the waterways .z bs- natural
ssTbe vav this country has treaSsO 49,
,,ooDs Of fr7nspOrtatiOn is OF the rail-
,-,,v,eDts AGAINST government OWnels,,...s .Slsuf
$40 The country surely has buried IL
s.Tlft II Is time to awake inns ss ~ con-
must do It's share In rishting the 7f,ss thsn
e-ssfion and h must do Il along OtneL -. ~ pr
the conAscation Of either private plo0u'''
vate rights.