The Weston leader. [volume] (Weston, Umatilla County, Or.) 189?-1946, 1917-06-15

Loss OF EHieieney-peelares '"@N
cri.i. confronss Country on Account
Of Transportation sisuatlen--LOwsss
Freluh. Rates 10 De Found In United
States.
washington. n. C,-That the Unit
ed States is face to face with a seri'
Gus crisis in its commercial auairs'
due TO the conditions by which It's
TRANSFORMATION system is confronted.
was the opinion expressed by w. NJ.
Acworth. England's leading authority
on railways. before the Newlands JOINT
committee on interstate commerce az
special session held here to enable
the committee TO hear his views before
his departure for London. Two steps
are necessary. according TO Mr.. Ac-
worth. TO avert this crisis and to solve
the threatening railroad problem con-
fronting the country.
The first is to allow the railroads 10
charge freight rates sufficient TO meet
the great advance in operating eS-
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
ana 10 provide one centralized regula-
tory agency with such local subdivi-
sions as may be necessary.
Higher Rates Public Necessity
Mr.. Acyorth's views on the transpor-
tation situation in the United States
we're expressed in answer to questions
by members of the committee, VINO
asked him TO apply his knowledge oil
railway conditions throughout the
world and OF the experience of other
countries with government ownership
to the present problem before the
United States.
THE fundamental factor in the STU
alton is very simple" said Mr.. Ac-
worth 1T lies in the fact that you
cannot get three-quarters OF a cents
worth of work done for less than three
quarters OF a cent. po matter whether
the agency performing it is a govern
ment or private enterprise. frelght
rates must advance when the cost OF
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
80 Droduntjnn {"
In answer to a question Mr.. Ac-
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 we're afforded to the carriers very
promptly, he said, the result would
he a tremendous loss to he people OF
the whole country through insufficient
CIV of transportation facilities.
Weakness Of Government Ownership.
on the subject of government owner
chip of railways Mr.. Acworth said:
1T is impossible to obtain saustac'
tory results on government railways
in a democratic state unless the man
agement is cut loose from direct poilt'
ical control Neither Australia nor
anv other country with a democrat
ic neutrality-suspicious. an exception
ought to be made of Switzerland-nas
succeeded in maintaining permanent
severance. In France, in Belgium, in
italy. parliamentary interference never
has been abandoned for a moment
The facts show that government In
terfarance has meant running the rail-
vays not for the benefit of the people
at large. but to satisfy local and sec
tiouaI and even personal interests.
Prussia. Mr.. Acworth said, was the
best example of an efficient govern.
mcnt railway system, and he pointed
out that military considerations were
treated as of paramount Importance In
the Prussian railway system Whlle
American freight rates had been re
duced nearly 40 per cent IN thlrlS
Years. rates in Prussia were nearly al
high as at the beginning OF the PERIOD
While the cnarge loE HloFihS ooH '"
freight one milo in the United states
was a trifIe over three-quarters OF
cent. the rate in Prussia was la
cents.
AS illustrating the difference in ratei
between government and private roads
Mr.. Acworth compared the railways
of New South Wales, Australia, VIII
those of Texas. While the amount O
traffic TO each mile of line was abou
the same in both cases, re pointed out
the Texas railways performed for tn
nublic four times as much service al
the government owned roads OF New
south Wales. The charge In Iexal
for hauling ton of freight one mli'
was less than cent, while in the Aus
tralian state it was well over cents
american railways lead the world
ssid Mr.. Acworth. Nowadays whel
men in any other part of the wori'
want to know how to run raiiwa!