The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-05-18
BRITISH EXPERT
LAUDS RAILROADS
OF UNITED STATES
Tells Congress Committee That
They Lead World

NO 6OvERNMFUT ownership
q Would Mean PoGtica, Control and
Loss Of Efficiency eclarss That
Crisis confronts Country on Account
Of Transportation S,tuat,on-lowsst
Freight Rates to De found In United
States.
Washington. May li.-'lbat the Unit.
ed States is face to face with q serious
crisis In its commercial affairs. due to
the conditions by which its %transporta.
ton system is confronted. was the optn.
ion expressed by w. NJ. Acworth. Eng.
lands leading authority on railways.
before the Newlands joint committee
on interstate commerce ut q special
session held here to enable the com.
mittee to bear his views before his de-
parture for London this week. Two
steps are necessary. according to MI.
Acworth. 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
and improvements needed to meet the
growing demands of business. The Sec
ond Il to do away with the multiple
and conflicting systems Of regulation
that now hamper railway operation
and to provide one centralized regula-
tory agency with such local subdivi'
sions as may be necessary.
Higher 7ates . Public Necessity.
Mr.. Acworth's views on the transpor.
tation situation in the United States
we're 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 funda MENTAL factor In the ut
uation Is very simple" said Mr., Ac.
worth. ut lies in the fact that you
cannot get three-quarters Of q cents
worth Of work done for less than three.
quarters of a cent. no matter whether
the agency performing 1t Is a govern
ment or private enterprise. Freight
rates must advance when the cost OF
performing the service advances az
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 he thought American
freight rates had been at much too low
4 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 70
lief were afforded to the carriers very
promptly, he said. the result would
be a tremendous loss to the people OF
the whole country through insumcien'
cy of transportation facilities.
ws.knsss 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 q democratic state unless the man
agement is cut loose from direct polit-
ical control. Neither Australia nor
.any other country with Z democrat
ic constitution-perhaps an exception
ought to be made Of Switzerland-has
succeeded in maintaining q permanent
severance. In France. in Belgium, IN
Italy, parliamentary interference never
has been abandoned for = 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 even personal interests.
Prussia, Mr.. Acworth said. was the
best example Of an efficient govern
ment railway system. and he pointed
out that military considerations were
treated as of paramount Importance In
the Prussian railway system. While
American freight rates had been re-
duced nearly 40 per cent In thirty
years. rates In Prussia were nearly as
high as at the beginning Of the period.
While the charge for moving q ton OF
freight one mile In the United States
Wal a triHe wei t~hree-quarters OF q
cent, the rate In Prussia wal LII
cents.
As illustrating the difference In rates
between government and private roads
MI. Acworth compared the railways
Of New South Wales. Australia. with
those Of Texas. While the amount OF
traffic to each mile Of line was about
the same In both cases, be pointed out.
the Texas railways performed for the
public four times al much service a.
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.
tralian state It was well over 2 cents.
american railways lead the world"
A--~AAh NnruohoU0 0vhAn