Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1917-05-18


Less OF Emeieney-Deeisres That
Crisis Confronts Country on Account
Of Transportation Situstion-Io~est
Freight Rates to Be Found in United
States.
Washington May I4.-That the Unit
sd States In face to face with serious
crisis In It's commercial affairs. due to
the conditions by which its transporta-
ton system In confronted. was the opin-
ION expressed by w NJ. Acworth. Eng
binds leading authority on railways.
before the Newlands Joint committee
on Interstate commerce at special
session held here to enable the com.
mittee TO hear his views before his de-
parture for London this week. Two
steps are necessary. according TO Mr.
Aeworth. to avert this crisis and to
solve the threatening railroad problem
confronting the country.
The first is to allow the railroads to
charge freight rates sufficient to meet
the great advance In operating ex-
penses which Is taking place and to
enable them to command the credit
necessary to provide the extensions
aud improvements needed to meet the
growing demands Of business. The sec
ond is TO do away with the multiple
aud conflicting systems of regulation
that now hamper railway operation
and to provide one centralized reguia-
tory agency with such local subdiu-
stops a q mn " he naCqsSary
Higher Rates . Public Necessity.
Mr.. Acworth's views on the transpor-
tation situation In the United States
we're expressed In answer to questions
bs members OF the committee. who
asked him to apply his knowledge
OF railway conditions throughout the
world and of the experience OF other
countries with government ownership
10 the present problem before the Unit
ed States.
THE fundamental factor in the sit
uation IL very simple" said Mr.. Ac-
worth. ut lies In the fact that you
cnnnot get tbree-quarters OF cents
worth OF work done for less than three
quarters Of cent. no matter whether
the agency performing 1t Is govern
ment or private enterprise. Freight
rates must advance when the cost or
performing the service advances as
Il is doing at present. Just as the price
Of bread or meat or any other COM
modify increases with increased cost
of production.
In answer 70 question MIR Ae-
worth said that he thought American
freight rates had been at much too low
a level for several years past, that they
had reached this low point during the
period of cutthroat competition among
the roads and had since been held
there by regulating bodies. Unless re
lief were affoisied to tue carriers very
promptly. he said the result would
be Tremendous loss 20 the people OF
the whole country through insuilicien-
ey of transportation facilities.
Weakness Of Government Ownership.
On the subject of government owner
ship OF railways Mr.. Acworth said
1T is impossible to obtain satisfac-
tory results on government railways
In "a democratic state unless the man
agement Is cut loose from direct polit-
zeal control Neither Australia nor
any other country with democrat
ic constitution-per an exception
ought 10 be made OF Switzeriand-ha
succeeded In maintaining permanent
severance. In France. in Belgium, In
Italy. parliamentary interference never
has been abandoned for moment.
The facts show that government In
tcrference has meant running the rail
ways not for the benefit of the people
at large, but TO satisfy local and sec
tionai and even personal interests.
Prussia. Mr.. Acwerth said. was the
best example Of an efficient govern
ment railway system. and he pointed
out that military considerations Were
treated as ~ paramount importance II
the Prussian railway system. Will,
American freight rates had been re-
duced nearly 40 per cent IN thirty
wears rates 10 Prussia were nearly a
high as at the beginning Of the period
While the charge for moving ton OF
freight one mile Ia the United States
was trihe over three.auarters of d
cent. the rate in Prussia was 14l
cents
As illustrating the difference In rates
between government and private roads
Mr.. Acworth compared the railways
OF New South Wales. Australia. with
those of Texas White the amount OF
traffic to each mile OF Tine was about
the same In both cases, he pointed ont
the Texas railways performed for the
public four times as much service as
the government owned roads Of New
South Wales. The charge in Texas
for hauling a ton OF freight one mile
was less than cent, while IN the Aus.
sralian state IL was well over . cents
american railways lead the world.
said Mr. Acworth. Nowadays when
men In any other part OF the world
want to know how TO run railway
they como-so the United stages aud
study your railways here. The Amer
lean railways are entirely the result
OF private enterprise. and | think they
70 Z long way toward proving the case
against government ownership"