The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1917-05-25
SA EXPERT
LkUDs RAILROADS
OF UNITED STATES
Tells Congress Committee That
They Lead World.
NO GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP

u Would Mean Political Control sncI
Loss of Effieieney-DecIares That
Crisis Confronts Country on Account
of Transportation Situstion-Lowsss|
Freight Rates to Be Found In unitsd|
States.
Washington. May li.-That the Omit
ed States is face TO face with a serious
crisis I'm its commercial affairs. due tol
the conditions 10y 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 committed
on interstate commerce az a special
session held here TO enable the com
mittee TO hear his views before bis 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 TO
charge freight rates sufficient TO meet
the great advance IN operating ex
penses which Is taking place and To
enable them 20 command the credit
necessary 10 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 or regulation
that now hamper railway operation
and 10 provide one centralized regula
tory agency with such local subdivi
sionS as may be necessary.
Hioher Rates a Public Necessity.
Mr. Acworth's views on the transpor-
tarion situa ton in the United aates
were expressed In answer 10 questions
by members " 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
10 the present problem before the Unit
ed States.
THE funda MENTAL factor In the sit
uation is very simple" said Mr.. Ac-
worth. 1T lies In the fact that you
worth Of work done for less than three
quarters Of a cent. no matter whether
the agency performing IL Ii q 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
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 the carriers very
promptly, he satd, the result would
be a tremendous loss to the people OF
the whole country through insufficient
cy of transportation facilities.
Weakness of Government Ownership.
On the subject OF government owner
|
1T Is impossible to obtain satisfac-
tory results on government railways
in a democratic state unless the man.
agement is cut loose from direct polit.
ical control Neither Australia nor
any other country with q democrat
ic constitution-perhaps an exception
ought 10 10 made OF Switzerland-has
succeeded in maintaining a permanent
severance. In France. in Belgium, IL
Italy, parliamentary interference never
has been abandoned for q moment
The facts show that government In
reference has meant running the rail
waXS 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 the
best example or an efficient govern
ment railway system. and be pointed
out that military considerations were
treated as OF paramount importance In
the Prussian railway system. Will.
American freight rates had been re
duced nearly 40 per cent In thirt,
years, rates In Prussia were nearly a
high As at the beginning Of the period
While the charge for moving a ton o
freight one mile In the United State.
was trife over three-quarters Of |,
cent. the rate In Prussia was Ia
cents
As Illustrating the difference I'm rate:
Between government and private road
. Mr.. Acworth compared the railway
OF New South Wales. Australia. witt
those o. Texas While the amount o
traffic 10 each mile OF line was abou
the same in both cases he pointed out
the Texas railways performed for III,
public -four times as much service a
the government owned roads Or New
South Wales The charge Ia Texa
for hauling u ton OF freight one mile
was less than cent while In the Aus
tralian state il was wei over ? cents.
American railways lead the world.
said Mr. Acworth Nowadays whel
men IN any other part OF the work
want 10 know how % run a railwa.
they come To the United States am
study your railways here The Amer
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