The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-04-26
JAMES J. HILL IN
FAVOR OF PUBLICITY
Business of the Country Increases
Much Faster Than Facilities
for Handling 1t

ST. PAUL, April 25.--James J. Hill,
the great Nortl: a.n Pacific railroad
magnate, sees IN publicity of corpora
ton matters end intelligent public
control of the corporations themselves
long step toward the solution Of the
present era of business stagnation.
And the United States needs a
savior" says Mr.. Hill THE people
have demanded not only the best but
an improvement on the best and they
will now have to pay accordingly. If
they don't pay in money, they must
pay in prosperity. The business of
the country increases IS per cent
every year: the facilities for handling
this new business increase only 1-6 of
that. The difference in the ratio is
too great and a balance must be
struck. sometime. else there will be a
complete breakdown of service or
prosperity.
"Why don't the facilities for HAND
ling business increase more rapidly ?
Because the men behind those facili-
ties are afraid to spend their money
for extensions and improvements"
Mr.. Hill has long been an exponent
of publicity of corporate affairs and
looks upon that as one of the means
of bringing corporation and public
together.
1.-The people are entitled to know
what the public service corporations
are doing and the conditions under
which they transact business" he
says. II believe in, and have advo-
Gated, publicity of corporation reports
for many years. When the public be-
comes conversant with corporation
affairs and is convinced that it is see
ing from the inside, much of the feel
ing against the great business con-
Germs will pass away. That will be
one of the effects of publicity"
In the matter of public control OF
duasi-public concerns. Mr.. Hill is a
firm advocate, but he wants that con-
troll to be intelligent: he wants only
trained men in the places Of control.
"a corporation is a piece of paper
bearing the stamp and seal Of the
state" he SAYS. ats life is created
by the people and naturally the peo-
pie should have some word in ma
king the rules under which it trans
acts business. That proposition is
one ] have preached for years and
now l am glad to see it making head
way among common carrier corpora
tons Last week President Nudge OF
Rock Island railroad declared for
public control of railroads: George M
Reynolds, president Continental anq
Commercial National bank of Chica-
go did the same thing the week be-
fore: T. n. Vail, president American
Telephone and Telegraph recently
j made an official report to his board
of directors in which he took a firm
stand for both publicity and public
control.
But that control must be intelli-
gently administered. Public control
simply because it is control by the
, public, is not all. 1t must be tn-
telligent as l have always contended
Intelligent people will ask and expect
nothing more. Vail. Reynolds and
the others are right in advocating pub
LEFTY and public control. Both are
things which eventually will go far
towards making good feeling be.
tween the corporations and the peo-
pie, and will assist in settling much
of the antagonism which now seems
to prevail"