Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-06
CHEFS
|S FOR BILLION
ntives Tell Newlands
ey Can Do Without
u. S. Control
|ZFICATION THEIR AIM

&Hk0ad executives today told Sena-
Xowlands, chairman of the Senate
)1Mate Commerce Committee, that
Qovernment aid they will be able
uu1fy the railroad systems and end
country's transportation troubles
1out Government control
~ Qovernment loan of $1,000, 900 900.
suspension or repeal of antitrust
anti-pooiing laws. will enable the
Roads TO take care of the situation,
- executives said. They will prepare
I11lod estimates Of the sums needed
At1Sls for additional equipment and
\ sXc1litles to meet war requirements. and
1XHl submit these to Sewlands before
~ Bees the President Monday afternoon.
III Railroad fnen attending the confer
10ce were Samuel Rea. president of the
Eennsylvania Railroad Howard Elliott,
{ New Haven; julius Kruttchnitt, South
; IN Pacific; c. S. Neal. representing
tkoamShip lines Fairfax Harrison.
GAAirnan of the Railroads War Board,
ma Daniel willard, head of the War
Industries Board
Nff A. in every war move to date the
washes Of President Wilson will control.
The Interstate Commerce Committees Of
both branches of Congress will call upon
him soon. Then the entire railway situ-
alton will be threshed out. Already the
President has made an intensive study
~ the problems. Today he has before
him all data on which the Interstate
Commerce Commission based its recon-
mondation Of complete coordination OF
railways. either under a railroad COM
Inittee or under presidential direction
the mass of information compiled by the
food and fuel directors which shows
how utterly impossible the present sys-
tom is, and data submitted by the rail-
|-&~a- ctNfzxinr that their
present revenues have made It impos-
stbIe 10 get the equipment which would
bring them up to the necessary stand
ard for war efficiency.
The. situation admittedly is complex
and II will probably he several days be-
fore sentiment crystalliZes sufficiently
to permit drafting of a comprehensive
biIl As matter of fact. there Is wide
oivereence of opinion among Senators
and Representatives as to what must
Be done.
Everywhere 1t is admitted that the
ueesent system is intolerable. Right
\ now, with winter not commenced, virtu-
any The entire community is in the
<hroes of a coal famine. Food supplies
4 are short in many places. Farmers Bit
torly complain that although they
planted all vacant land to get food TO
win the war" much Of this food remains
on the ground. either because men could
not be hired TO harvest 1t or the rail-
roads have failed to furnish the cars
4 to send 1t to market.
But Congress was divided into three
grotps favoring three separate plans to
remedy the situation as follows:
One, including in its membership
many of the older members, which be-
1Ieves that the Government should loan
< the railroads $4,000, 100000 with which
70 build new tracks to parallel present
Z. nystems, buy equipment and increase
WAGES SO there would be no shortage of
men.
A second. in which are many of the
! 17rut group. who favor pooling all rail-
j way systems as single road by re-
i sealing all anti-combine laws, operating
I ~ roads as unit through the medium
~ 4 committee representing all roads
md guaranteeing to all bond and stock
o1ders Reasonable dividend" on their
1vestrinent for the period of the war
a third comparatively small but very
lniluential group, who agree with Inter
nfate commerce Commissioner McChord
that the President should take over the
railroads. and operate them as Govern
Z 1ment Institution for the period of the
Fmnr and n that proves successful. should
! continue Government ownership as q
pefmanent institution.
II will be necessary to reconcile these
elements, and this Is what the President
ana his advisors must do. Already they
nro undertaking this task. 1t is real
f1od that immediate action must CON-
There can be no temporizing. The rail-
way situation is a serious handicap to
winning the war, the supreme test which
has been set the nation. and the remedy
must be applied without months Of de-
lay
Y Directing minds of all of the nation:
< b1ggest war bureaus here in- Washing
ton were In fullest accord that the Presi
( dent must take over the railroads, They
Were not divided in opinion, as Is Con
uesu. They insist that the statistic:
tlsey have gathered proves conclusively
& that complete mobilization of the indus
rial and military resources of the coun
kry H. impossible until the railroads arr
& ffoderAlized, whether through complete
3oWncrship or simply for direction during
tho war. they say, does not matter. They
4 know that transportation is utterly con
n1Ded and that various remedies SO fal
applied have failed to cure.