Stone County enterprise., 1916-12-23
PLAN TO RESUME
RAILWAY INQUIRY
AFTER MARCH 41H
PosipCnement Forced BY Press
Of Congressional Business.
COUNTRY DEMANDS ACTION

tives of All Branches OF Business BE-
mand Unification of System OF Rail.
way eguation-Roado Ask Fewer
Masters.
Washington, Dec. 19.-The Congress
sional Joint Committee on Interstate
Commerce, which has been conduct>G
the inquiry into government regulation
and control Of transportation, last
week decided to suspend its hearings
Oh the subject and adjourned, subject
to the call of the chairman, because OF
the pressure Of other work before Con
gress. According to the resolution ere
atlng the committee, it is required to
submit report by January Sth next
1t is understood that before that t'm@
the committee will ask for an eXten-
sion of time and that the hearings WdI
be resumed at later date, when s0me
Of those who already have appealed
before the committee will be question
ed further and great many oth3rs
will be heard. 1t is probable. hoWfy'I
er. that the hearings will not be reSHn-
ed until after adjournment of Congress
on March 4th. In addition to regular
routine business the commerce. com
nittees of the two houses are shaf&e'
with the important duty of pRpafihe
and presenting the Legislation a'6eu
for by President Wilson to make I'M
nossible a railroad strike without pre-
vious investigation This wall leave
little or no time for the copsld2ratloh
of the general questions ct railway
regulation.
Country Wants Something Done
Members of Congress and others
who are interested in th inquiry I'M
dertoken bv the Newlanas committee
insist that there is 10 intention OF
abandoning it.
1t seems doubtful, indeed, If the
| country would permit the matter to
he dropped if thee We're evidence OF
desire on the pTt of Congress to 90
so The nationwide evidences OF III
terest evoked 5y the initiation Of the
! Newlands INJURY show that the peo
! r,,s re- the country-shippers, cohsun
F.; ers and nvestors, as well as r&llWaH
/ mon tbaalselyes-are ahve to the 1aci
! tbst tho railway situation is highly uh
s.+isfac.ory and that steps must be
taken without unnecessary delay 70
! make it possible for the railroads to
/ meet the growing needs of the nation
! From reports received here it seems
! as though almost every commercial or
/ ganizatien and business interest IN the
. country were engaged in studying the
! railroad question. The Chamber o.
! Commerce of the United states mas
. been conducting an elaborate inquiry
! into various phases Of the subject foi
! many months past. Many local aho
state commercial bodies in every part
I of the country have committees en-
! gagged in study of the problem and
| have indicated desire to come here
! and present their views National or
! ganiZations OF manufacturers, lumber
rnen, coal operators, wholesale and re
! tail dealers, have expressed through
J resolutions their desire for the unilica-
! tion Of the system of railway regula-
Z, ton The National Industrial Trait
! League, speaking from the viewpoint
| Of shippers using the railways, has
inaorsed exclusive federal regulation
providing II is accomplished in such a
way as to give full protection and
prompt adjustment in matters relating
to transportation within the states.
Many interests Studying Problem.
All these organizations represent pri-
marily the shippers of the country, but
they are not the only ones who arc
taking a hand in the discussion. The
/ investors of the nation, through their
! own associations and through commit
tees representing the savings banks and
other financial organizations, are pre-
pairing to show the necessity of improy-
ing railroad credit and protecting the
rights of those whose money is invest
ed in railway securities. Finally the
railroads themselves, being vitally con-
cerned in the improvement of existing
conditions, are planning to submit their
views through their executives, Oper-
ating officials and traffic experts and
to assert their willingness to accept far
reaching federal regulation along lines
that will enable them to attract capital
and to provide the facilities needed for
the prompt and efficient handling of
the country's transportation business.
Main Trouble Is Too Many Masters
Not all of these interests are in ac-
cord as to the remedies that should be
adopted. There seems to be general
agreement, however, that many of the
difficulties which confront the railroads
and which make it impossible for them
to meet the requirements of the ma
tons commerce promptly and satisfac
torily arise from the haphazald and
often conflicting measures of regulation
that have been adopted from time tC
time by the federal government and the
forty-eight states and that what Is
needed is well ordered, systematic
scheme of federal regulation that shall
cover the whole country and make il
possible for the railroads to provide the
extensions and improved facilities sc
badly needed, while at the same time
pro+oofino f,1Ilu tho puhIio {ntaractc