New Britain herald., 1916-11-20
GOV. OWNERSHIP WILL BE
 CONSIDERED BY COMMITTEE
 INVESTIGATING RAILROADS
Success of Plan Now In Vogue In Warning Countries Will Be Watched Closely
TRAFFIC INQUIRY TO
 HAVE GREAT SCOPE

HAVE GREAT SCOPEI Senator Newlands Prefaces Opening
 of Probe by Explaining Purposes of
 Congressional Committee - Varietyr
 of State Laws Works Hardship for
 Lines and Central Governing BodyI
 May Result.
 Washington, Nov. 20.-In openingI the first session of the joint congress- sionaI committee to investigate rail-l road problems today, Senator Francis c. Newlands of Nevada the chairman, ! explained that the inquiry would cov-I CT wide field He said:
 "It will relate to every phase of theI transportation question, the raN carl riers, the river carriers and the oceanl carriers, and the perfection of a har-l monious system of transportation em ' bracing rail, river and ocean carriers| that will meet the demands of inter state as well as foreign commerceA and it will also be applied to tele-I graph and telephone lines, express. companies and other public utilitiesI
 'It will embrace not only the sub t ject of government control and regu1 u1ation of these utilities, but also the q wisdom and the feasibility of govern ment ownership and the comparativd worth and efficiency of government regulation and control as compared with government ownership and operl ation.
 t'It will not be possible for us td come to a speedy conclusion regard l. ing all questions, but that conclusion will be more quickly arrived at if WI have the sympathetic aid of men whC C& for years have been conversant witt ' the practical side of the transportaz { tion question, of the economists and publicists, of railway executives and workers of commercial bodies, farm CTS and manufacturers and sllippcrk generally"
 Government Ownership. Referring to government ownerN ship, Senator Newlands said: Tt iH a question that must be faced. Othel nations far advanced in civilization 2 have adopted the system. Recently under the stress of war, almost a European governments have take over the railways. Whether that wi be a permanent taking over or onlN a temporary one, it dem onstrates tha in conditions of great crises when au tocratic powers must be given to tn E government, all intelligent opinlol drifts toward absolute and complet operation of the roads as the onl( solution of the question:
 "If we pursue the exercise and tn study of government regulation wise ly, consistently and energetically WW may create such a system of regula H ton as will meet every requirement both in time of peace and of war, an in exigency or crises. But It seem to be a wise thing for the soveInmen of the United States to. ascertain no1 the history of the countries that hav adopted government ownership ap operation of railways and to WRtc the experience of the European coUn tries in this great war in this reEuro
 "In connection will coEle the ques ton of the method of taking over n railroads. shal it be accomplished D an actual valuation of the railway and q condemnation of them, or sha they be taken over Ey the easie method of taking over the stocks Sn the bonds at their market value, thu at one step having the national gov ernment take the position of stock holders and security holder in thes great corporations?"
 Strikes Barbaxic and Cruel.
 Strikes as a means of settling labo disputes, Senator Newlands character ized as ''the most barbaric and bruta of processes"
 "The question is," he added whether a nation pretending some degree of civilization, which Ina eliminated the doctrine or force iron application to controversies betweel man and man, and which furnfShe judicial tribunals for the settIemer of those controversies, and which now and has been for years endeavoI ing internationally to secure a sys tenn under which the nations of th earth will create similar tribunals fo the adjustment of international dis putes without resort to force, whethc a civilized nation can be content t the existing condition d things"
 Hours and wages of employees nus be considered carefully, Senator New lands declared, because the burden which constitute the operating ex penses of these corporations are i time transferred to the shippers."
 He added: '"They cannot long res upon the investors. for if they res upon them too heavily there will b ] decline in the securities and a con seauent difficulty in securing th
 Continued On Tenth Pagel.