New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-11
He Can Solve Problem OF
Regulation, Says Harrl-
son at Railway Dinner.
NEW OHIO SENATOR
FOR RATE INCREASE
Men Who Supply Equipment
Cheer Hope That New Trans.
portation Era Is Dawning.

! Speaking for the railroads Of the
country to the members of the Railway
1 Business Association at the Waldorf
| last night. Fairfax Harrison. president
of the Southern Railway, declared that
/ the one man who can solve the problem
of railway regulation and make invest
ments in American railways stable is
! President Wilson.
The President. he declared. had re-
Gently demonstrated lively sympathy
with the railroads in their plight, there
! by arousing the hope that he would
work out a constructive plan that wou ID
be fair TO the owners Of the railroads
and to the general public. The remedy
favored is centralized regulation and
supervision.
Warren G. Harding, United States
Senator-elect from Ohio, the only other
speaker. declared fat footedly Cor an
increase in rates for the railroads, that
they may give the service the public
properly demands.
The dinner followed the annual meet
ing Of the association, which numbers
on it's membership rolls substantially
every manufacturer of railroad sup
plies of Importance in the country, from
the United States Steel Corporation
down, and the list Of one thousand
guests at the dinner would be who's
who" in railroading and finance.
Railway rates and railway regulation
we're the uppermost topics in the minds
of the diners. Before bread was brok-
en- Colonel George A. Post. president
Of the association, gave this saluta-
ton:
Here's 20 railway regulation. May
those who enact and those who admin
lister the laws be as watchful of the
welfare of the railways as they are
Jealous in the protection of the rights
of the public. Injury to either is de-
structive of the property o. both
Drink TO President.
But one toast was drunk. "The Pres
ident Of the United States" and after
silence was restored President Post in
troduced the first speaker, Warren G..
Harding, of Ohio, United States Sena-
tOr-elect.
81 believe it is the opinion Of ninety
nine Of every hundred thinking people
that the railways of the country are
entitled TO an increase of rates, and
would gladly see it granted" declared
Mr.. Harding, amidst cheers. Amer
ican railways ought TO be able to earn
enough in the fat years to be prepared
to carry on their vast improvements in
the lean years, which inevitably come.
Under our present system of re-
duced and insufficient earning and with
increased cost of operation, there are
no marked railway betterments except
IN the high tide of earnings, when cost
is highest and improvements are ham
pered by traffic operations. We ought 10
reverse this order and provide an ample
earning IN good times to enable extern
sive betterments to be made in the dull
period. This would tend to better ser
vice IN the days of the revival. Mean
while the expenditure for betterments
would relieve the general dulness amid
such conditions as we complain of to-
day.
Through agitation and restriction.
there has come impaired credit. until
there IS threatened COLLAPSE of the
railroad ediiice. These items of main
tenance and betterments have been
overlooked by the political exhorters
Perhaps the lack of successful reou.
lation is due to the newness of Tho
undertaking, to the unavoidable poIiti-