News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1917-05-23

Tells Congress Committee That
They Lead World.
NO GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP

It Would Mean Political Control and
Loss of fFiciency-Declares That
Crisis Confronts Country on Account
of transportation ituation-Lowesi
Freight Rates to Be Found In United
States.
Washington May 14-That the Unit.
ed States is face to face with a serious
crisis in its 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 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 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 one centralized regula-
tory agency with such local subdivi-
sions as may be necessary.
Higher Rates 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 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.
'"The fundamental factor in the sit
uation is very simple" said Mr.. Ac-
worth. at 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, 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
it 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 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 were afforded to the carriers very
he said, the result would
be a tremendous loss to the people of
the whole country through insufficient
~ of transportation facilities.
Weakness 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 a democratic state unless the man |
lgement is cut loose from direct polit- |
cal control. Neither Australia nor
my other country with a democrat
c nstitution-perhaps an exception |
Iaght to be made of SwitZerland-has |
succeeded in maintaining a permanent |
severance. In France, in Belgium, in
italy, parliamentary interference never
has been abandoned for a moment.
rhe facts show that government in
reference has meant running the rail
ways not for the benefit of the people
It large, but to satisfy local and sec
ional and even personal interests.
Prussia, Mr.. Acworth said, was the
,est example Of an efficient govern
nent railway system, and he pointed
nut that military considerations were
reated as of paramount importance I'm
he Prussian railway system. While
american freight rates had been re-
Iuced neaEy 40 per cent in thirty
ears, rates in Prussia were nearly as
Ugh as at the beginning of the period.
While the charge for moving a ton of
reight one mile in the United States
vas a trife over three-quarters Of a
ent the rate in Prussia was la
ents.
As illustrating che difference in rates
etween government and private roads
fr. AcwOrth compared the railways
( New South Wales, Australia, with
hose Of Texas. While the amount of
rattle 10 each mile of line was about |
he same ia both cases. he pointed out,
be Texas railways performed for the |
ublic four times as much service as
he government owned roads Of New
Outh Wales. The charge in Texas
or hauling a ton Of freight one mile
,as less than cent. while in the Aus
-alian state it was well over 2 cents.
american railways lead the world"
aid Mr.. Acworth. Nowadays when
len in any other part Of the world
rant to know how to run a railway
ley come to the United States and
.udy your railways here. The Amer
an railways are entirely the result
{ private enterprise. and ] think they
o a long way toward proving the case