The Pageland journal. [volume] (Pageland, S.C.) 1911-1978, 1917-06-06


Crisis cenfronts Country on Account
Of Transportation Situatipn-Lowest
Freight Rates to Be Found In United
States.
Washington. May 14-That tho Unit
Cd 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 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 to
solve the threatening railroad problem
confronting the country.
The drst is to allow tho railroads to
charge freight rates sufficient to meet
the great advance In operating e1-
penses which is taking place and to
enable them to command the credit
necessary to provide tho extensions
and improvements needed to meet the
growing demands Of business. The sec-
| ond II 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-
dons as may be necessary.
Higher Rates q Public Necessity.
| Mr.. Acworth's views on the transpor-
tadon 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.
'Ths fundamental factor in the sit-
uation Is very simple" said Mr.. Ac-
worth. "It lies In the fact that you
cannot get three-quarters Of q cents
worth Of work done for less than three
quarters of q cent, no matter whether
the agency performing it is a govern.
ment or private enterprise. Freight
rates must advance when tho cost Of
performing tho 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 4 question Mr.. Ac-,
worth said that he thought American
freight rates had been at much too low
q 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 tho carriers very
promptly, he said, the result would
be tremendous loss to the people Of
the whole country through insuffi cien-
cy Of transportation facilities
| Weakness of Government 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 democratic state unless the man.
agement is cut loose from direct polit-
fcal control. Neither Australia nor
any other country with 4 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 q moment
The facts show that government in
terference 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 tho
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 ton Of
freight one mile In the United States
was a trihe over three-quarters of q
cent, the rate in Prussia was LII
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. While the amount of
traffic to each mile of line was about
the same In both cases. he pointed out
the Texas railways performed for the
public four times az much service as
the government owned roads of New
South Wales. The charge in Texas
for hauling ton Of freight one mile
was less than 1 cent, while In the Aus.
tralian state 1t was well over 2 cents.
American railways lead the world"
said Mr.. Acworth. Nowadays when