Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-12-14
COVE RNMENT To
OWN RAILROADS
At EARLY DATE
Former New Haven Official
Sees Unmi8takabIe Trend to
Which He Is Opposed but
Sure Of Adoption
SPECIAL eoaassroposses TO MORNING ,ou'a.u

SPECIAL eoRHssroNosscs TO MORNING JOURNAL
Washington, Dec. 13-That gov-
eminent ownership and operation of
railroads ln the United states may
come within the next ten years is
the belief expressed hy Timothy y.
EFrHes who WIS vice president Of
The New York, New Haven ~ Hart
ford railroad under the Mcllcn re-
Rime.
Mr. Byrnes, both by the nature Of
his business and 10y inclination, has
been led to make study Of the
trcnd Of the times as rosurds the
American railroads and he is very ser
ious i'm expressing the opinion quoted
above.
Cal',h Trend OF Milton.
of the next house is controlled by
the republicans said Mr. Byrncs. the
movement toward government owner
ship may be checked temporarily but
not permanently ] say this because
it is not "a party movement. II ls the
trend of the nation
But ! do think that if tho demo-
Gratis had carried the next house by a
majority of 30 or 40 the mo} cmeut
would have been accelerated. They
have more Of the radical thought Of
the country at this time.
We already have government con-
troll Of tine railroad income The in
terstatc commerce commission cXer-
cscs that h. making rates. Next comes
the supervision OF railroad securities.
AT the present time railroad sccur-
ties arc not fbscrbed by the public
because the investing public under
government control Of rates, win not
buy them. The public is afraid OF
them, to put it into plain LANGUAGE.
Not Buying Securities.
Now. what is bound to happen
when the government sCrutinizes and
passes upon every issue of railroad Sc
curities, declining to permit the issue
unless its purpose is approved? If
the public buys a security approved by
the government and that security falls
the public viii demand that the gov
eminent stand behind the security it
approves If the government %.
cines the public simply will not buy
and there then are the railroads Grip
pied and rapidly becoming useless.
at this point the government Will
have to step in II viii have to UNI
dcrwrite the railroad securities 9th
erwiso the railroads will 20 to pot ana
the situation will become as bad as
that which compelled congress so has
tily TO Iegislate on the so-called eight
hour day We already have a wen de-
fined and persistent demand that the
government direct and control the
movement Of trains and of car dis
tribuuon The complaint is that the
railroads are not fair i'm their handling
Of these matters So, with the rates
fixed by the government, the opera
ton of trains directed by the govern
ment and the securities guaranteed
and undcrVritten by the government,
how much will we be short of actual
ownership?
Consolidation Is Approved.
"By consolidating All the railroads
into one organization the government
could institute a variety of reforms
and economies. 1t could abandon |
one road where two competing roads /
are serving the same territory at
loss. There are "a good many places /.
i'm the United States where this could /
be done and ought to he done.
also the government could save /
bv DISPENSING with a number of high |
Nv paid officials. We have railroad .
drawing $4,000 and even |
500. 600 a year Some of them are .
worth IT. But the truth is that some .
Of them are not men of superior
ability
"Stll do not say government !
ownership of our railroads would be
n good thine for the country. | be-
Iiovc II would he very bad thing. A
country controlled by popular vote is