The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-01-07

During the last few years the ad-
vocates of government ownership Of
railroads have been somewhat persis-
!, tent in the public press and the mat
ter is referred to here, not with any
idea of combating this propaganda,
but merely that the people may brief
ly see both sides of the picture. So
long as lot of men welcome the
. wrecking of the railroads on the the
DRY that the government will take
them over and that such state of af-
fairs would be preferable to private
ownership, it will be impossible to
obtain from them fair Judgment of
the latter system which now pre-
walls in the United States. 1t is impos-
sible to go into this great question
at any length at this time, but here
are a few things worth thinking
about: Much has been said in recent
years about the water contained in
American railroad securities, and, in
this connection the valuation of the
government owned railroads of Eur
ope is very interesting. In Germany
the state owned roads are valued at
$114,1S5 per mile, in Austria at
$12O,692, in Hungary at $69,210, in
Italy at $126,886, in Belgium at
$19O,914, in Switzerland at $1O2,95O,
in Roumania at $90,113, in Japan at
$S8,lO4, in New South Wales at $71,-
391-while the privately owned lines
of the United States, regardless of
what water may have been forced
into them in specific instances, are
valued at only $63,944 per mile.
Whatever initiation may therefore
have been put into these properties
in the past, the fact remains that
their present valuation is much lower
than that Of the government owned
railroads of Europe, and, what is still
more important the rates charged are
the lowest and the service rendered
admittedly the best in the world. 1t
is also pertinent to remember that
the charge of watered stocks, after
all, can be made against but very
few American railroads.&c. lions
share of them having been managed
without breath of scandal or criti-
cism
In this connection, statement
contained in the last annual report of
the Deutsche Bank of Berlin, which
has a paid-up capital and reserve
fund Of s75,O00,000, is interesting:
american railroads need higher
rates. The present rates are the low
est in the world--representing but
fraction of the English railway rates,
for instance-and this in the face OF
the fact that wages ip the United
States on the average are fully twice
as high as in Europe" Certainly this
view of the privately owned lines OF
the United States, coming from Ger
many, which has the most successful
state owned system of transportation
in the world, is worthy Of grave con-
sideratiOn.
In further confirmation OF this
statement we quote the following sta
tistics: 1t cost mills per mile on an
average to haul ton of freight in the
United States while in England it
costs an average of 2.33 cents, in
France 1.41 cents and in Germany
81. AZ cents. The average daily wage
paid to American railroad employees
is 1928, in England it is $1.15, and
in Germany and France it averages
little more than dollar per day. Are
American railroads therefore entitl-
ed to the wholesale abuse and de-
nunciation which has been heaped
upon them from all sides in recent
years?
LETTING WELL ENOUGH ALONE.
In view Of these facts, the average
citizen may we'll ask himself whether
it lis not best to let we'll enough alone
rather than invite other ills we know
not ofwhether It is not wiser to
cure such defects as may cucumber
the present system rather than run
the danger of plunging this mighty
industry into the whirlpool of party
politics for all time, with its attend
ant opportunity for evil Of which the
past affords such rich variety Of ex-s.
perience. The United States is still
u young country. and in many sec
tions only partially developed. Many
new lines and extensions are needed
here and there to give q wider oppor-7
tunity to expanding agriculture and
commerce. and nothing could be
more unfortunate or disastrous than
that these fayors could henceforth be
obtained only BY leave Of the domi-
nant political factions which will
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