The Prescott daily news., 1916-12-27
PLAN TO RESUME
 RAILWAY INQUIRY
 AFTER MARCH 4TH
Postponement Forced by Press Of Congressional Business.
COUNTRY DEMANDS ACTION

Shippers, Investors and Representa-
 tives of All Branches of Business De-
 mand Unification of System of Rail- | Masters.
 Washington, Dec. 1S.-The Congress
 sional Joint Committee on Interstate
 Commerce, which has been conducting
 the inquiry into government regulation
 and control of transportation, last
 week decided to suspend its hearings on 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
 ating the committee, it is required to submit report by January Sth next | It is understood that before that time
 the committee will ask for an exten-
 sion of time and that the hearings will
 be resumed at a later date, when some of those who already have appeared
 before the committee will be question |
 will be heard. It is probable, howev-
 CT, that the hearings will not be resum.
 ed until after adjournment of Congress
 on March 4th. In addition to regular
 routine business the commerce com
 mittees of the two houses are charged
 with the important duty of preparing and presenting the legislation asked | for by President Wilson to make i'm possible a railroad strike without pre-
 viouS investigation. This will leave | little or no time for the considerat tion
 of the general questions of railway
 regulation.
 Country Wants Something Done. l Members of Congress and others who are interested in the inquiry un- dertaken by the Newlands Committee
 insist that there is no intention of abandoning it.
 l It seems doubtful. indeed, if the
 country would permit the matter to l be dropped if there were evidence of 1 desire on the part of Congress to do
 so. The nationwide evidences of in
 terest evoked by the initiation of the
 Newiands inquiry show that the peo
 pie of the country-shippers. consum- i CTS and investors, as well as railway men themselves-are alive to the fact
 that the railway situation is highly un- | satisfactory and that steps must be i taken without unnecessary delay to | make 1t possible for the railroads to
 meet the growing needs of the nation | From reports received here 1t seems
 as though almost every commercial or
 ganiZation and business interest in the country were engaged in studying the
 railroad question. The Chamber of
 Commerce of the United States has
 been conducting an elaborate inquiry l into various phases of the subject for
 many months past. Many local and
 state commercial bodies in every part
 of the country have committees en- gagged in study of the problem and l have indicated desire to come here
 and present their views. National or
 ganizations of manufacturers, lumber
 men, coal operators, wholesale and re tail dealers. have expressed through | resolutions their desire for the unitica | ton of the system of railway regula
 ton. The National Industrial Traffic | League. Speaking from the viewpoint | of shippers using the railways, has | ndorsed exclusive federal regulation
 providing it 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 are | taking Il hand in the discussion. The | investors of the nation, through their | own associations and through commit | tees representing the savings banks and | other financial organizat tions. are pre- paring to show the necessity of improv- 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 or 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 prov Sle the facilities needed for | the prompt and efficient handling of | the country's transportation business. Main Trouble is Too Many Masters.