Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1917-05-18

Freight Rates to Be Found In United
States.
Washington, May THAT the Unit.
ed States Is face to face with n serious
crisis In Its commercial affairs, due to
the conditions by which It's transporta-
ton system Is confronted, was the opin-
lon expressed by W. NJ. Acworth Eng
lands leading authority on railways,
before the Newlands Joint committee
on interstate commerce at a 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.
Acworth, to avert this crisis and 10
solve the Threatening railroad problem
confronting the country
The first is to allow the railroads 10
charge freight rates sufficient to meet
the great advance in operating ex.
penses which is taking place aud to
enable them to command the crcdit
necessary to provide the eXte4Sons
and Improvements needed to meet The
growing demands Of husiuess. II Q Soc
ond Is to do away with the mui,fle
and conflicting systems Of regulation
that now hamper railway operation
and to provide one centralized rceua-
tory agency with such local subdiyi-
sions as may be necessary
Higher Rates a Public Necessity.
Mr.. Acworth's views on the transpor-
tation situation In the United States
were expressed in answer to questions
by members Of the committee. who
asked him to apply his kncwIe3ge
Of railway conditions through Ut the
world and Of the experience of other
countries with government ownership
to the present problem before tlit Unit
ed States.
"The fundamental IN tor in the SIT
nation is very simple" said ,lr &C.
worth. 1T lies In the fat HAT YOU
cannot get three-qWrtcrS Of 4 cents
worth OF work done for less thun three
quarters Of cent, 20 matter whether
the agency performing ii is a goycln-
ment OF private enterprise. Freight
rates must advance when the cost Of
performing the service advances rs
It Is doing at present. just AS the price
Of bread or meat or any other com-
modify increases with iarrea ed cost
of production
In answer to question Mr. Ne
worth said that he thought American
freight rates had been at much too low
q level for several years past, tAat they
had reached this low point during The
period of cutthroat competition among
the roads and had since brea held
there by regulating bodies. | Mess re.
lief were afforded to the carriers very
promptly. he said, the rest Naal
be a tremendous loss to The rga ir u
the whole country through il.snai zen.
cy of transportation facilities
Weakness Of Government Ownership.
On the subject of governing rr-
ship OF railways Mr. AcwUrth sad
1T Is impossible to obtain ~aliSfac-
tory results on government always
In a democratic state unless .r inhn-
agement is cut loose from l'2ri - t.
~
any other country with II .rncrat.
ic constitution perhaps an 1Nerd On
ought to be made OF Switzerland hlS
succeeded in maintain,uS n lc.manpt
severance. In France. in l'"Wm N
Italy, parliamentary micrie. rurc u yer
has been abandoned for a upHHt.
The facts show that gove,nldwl m
reference has meant runniu. ne 'ail-
ways not for the benefit 0; the W1pe
at large, but to satisfy locJ aud See
tional and even personal h'"'rHs
Prussia. Mr.. Acworth St d was the
best example OF an eli I 9or.rn-
ment railway system, anG NJ pointed
out that military conside { ms were
treated as OF paramount i"prance in
the Prussian railway ~ H While
American freight rates Id been re-
duced nearly 10 per cut IN thirty
years. rates in Prussia Nr nearly rs
high as at the beginning q tie period
While the charge for mo iac a ten of
freight one mile in the Waited states
was tribe over three arterS Of a
cent, the rate in Pru> a was LII
cents.
AS illustrating the differnce in rates
between government and private roads
Mr.. Acworth compared Gc railways
OF New South Wales. \ lIa'H with
those OF Texas. While amount Of
traffic to each mile of Ii "as about
the same In both cases, h POINTED out
the Texas railways perfuur for the
public four times as much scr ice as
the government owned loads OF New
South Wales The cha ia Telas
for hauling a ton of FIRE at one nile
was less than l cent. whiit N the Aus
tralan state 1t was well o ar > cents
american railways lead the world"
said Mr.. Acworth NOV ulayS when
men In any other part OF the world
want to know how to run a railway
they come to the United States and
study your railways here. The tmer-
lean railways are entirely the result
of private enterprise. and ! lhiuE tdey
go long way toward pro,,H the r;tse
against government OWNERS ~