Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-05-25
BRITISH EXPERT
LAuDS RAILROADS
OF UNITED STATES

l6llS GUngl6SS GgEDnl!Nc6 lGdl
They Lead World.
NO GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP
II Would Mean Political Control and
Loss Of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. That
Of Transportation Situation-Lowest
Freight Rates to Be Found In United
States.
Washington. May 14.-That the Omit.
ed States is face to face with a serious
crisis in it's commercial affairs. due to
the conditions by which its Transports
ton system is confronted, was the opin.
ion expressed by w. NJ. Acworth, Eng
lands leading authority Oil railways,
before the Newlands joint committee
on interstate commerce Mt a special
session held here to enable the coln-
mittee to hear his views before his de-
parture for London this week. Two
steps are necessary. according to Mr..
Acworth, to aver 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
and Improvements needed to meet the
growing demands of business. The Sec
ond is to do away with the multiple
and conflicting systems of regulation
that now hamper railway operation
and to provide n centralized regula-
tory agency with such local subdiyi-
sions as may be necessary.
Higher Rates a Public Necessity.
Mr.. Acworth's views on the Transport
tation situation in the United States
were expressed In answer to questions
by 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
to the present problem before the Unit
ed States.
1.-THE fundamental factor in the sit
uation is very simple" said Mr.. Ac-
worth. cit lies in the fact that you
cannot get three-quarters of a cents
month ne rly1y dora For lass fbor <hroo-
quarters Of a cent, no matter whether
the agency performing it is a govern
ment or private enterprise. Freight
rates must advance when the cost of
performing the service advances as
1t 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 to a question Mr.. Ac-
worth said that be 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 afforded to the carriers very
promptly, he said, the result would
be a tremendous loss to the peopie Of
the whole country through insufficient
cy Of transportation facilities.
Weakness Of Governments Ownership.
On the subject Of government owner
ship Of railways Mr.. Acworth said:
ut is impossible to obtain satisfac-
tory results on government railways
in a democratic state unless the man
agement is Gut loose from direct polit-
ical control. Neither Australia nor
any other country with a democrat
ic neutrality-suspicious. an exception
ought to be made Of Switzerland-has
succeeded In maintaining q permanent
severance. InxFrance, in Belgium, In
Italy, parliamentary interference never
has been abandoned for q moment.
The facts show that government In
reference has meant running the rail.
ways not for the benefit Of the people
at large. but to satisfy local and sec.
tional and ' personal interests.
Prussia. MI. Acworth. said. vas thu
best example Of an efficient govern.
ment railw,ly system. and he pointed
out that M.sitaty considerations were
treated q OF pa. amount Importance In
the sPrussian rstlway system. While
American freight rates had been 70
duced nearly 20 per cent In thirty
years, rates In Prussia were nearly az
Shfgh a. at the beginning OF the period,
AA-2-l