The Penn's Grove record., 1917-05-18
BRITISH EXPERT
CT
LAUDS RAILROADS
OF UNITED STAT
Tells Congress Committee II
They Lead World.
NO GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP

4 Would Mean Political Control an
Loss OF. EHiciency-DecIares That
Crisis confronts Country on Aocounk
of Transportation situation-Lowekt
Freight Rates to Be Found In Unite
States.
Washington, May 14-That the Unit
ed States is face to face with a seriou.
crisis In its commercial affairs, d. to
the conditions by which its Transporter
ton system is confronted, was the opin.
ion expressed BY W. Nj. Aeworth, Eng
lands leading authority on railways.
before the Newlands joint committee
ons 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..
Aeworth. to avert this crisis and to
solve the threatening railroad problem
confronting the country.
The first is to allow the railroads I
charge freight rates sufficient to mel
the great advance In operating
penses which is taking place and
enable them to command the cree
necessary to provide the extensi
and improvements needed to meet
growing demands of business. The
ond is to do away with the multi
and conflicting systems of regulat
that now hamper railway operai
and TO provide one centralized reg
tory agency with such local subd
sions as may be necessary.
Higher Rates a Public Necessity
Mr.. Acworth's views on the trans
tation situation in the United st.
We're expressed in answer to questi
by members Of the committee, V .
asked him to apply his knowIeu |
of railway conditions throughout II
world and of the experience of 9TH
countries with government ownersh
to the present problem before the Uni
ed States.
'The fundamental factor in the siH
uation is very simple said Mr., Al
worth. 1T lies in the fact that yoN
cannot get three-quafters of a cent?
worth of work done for less than threEN
quarters of a cent, no matter whetheis
the agency performing it is a govern
ment or private enterprise. Freight
rates must advance when the cost of
performing the service advances las
tits 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 a question Mr.. Aci
worth said that he thought American.
freight rates had beer at much too low.
a level for several years past, that they,
had reached this low point during the
period of cutthroat competition amongl
the roads and had since been held,
there by regulating bodies. Unless re-
lief We're afforded to the carriers very
promptly, he said. 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
snip - dtc NIL ACWOIlu Sd1Qs
1T is impossible to obtain satisfac-
tory results on government railways
in a democratic state unless the man
agement is cut loose from directs polit-
ical control. Neither Australia nor
any other country with a dehocrat-
lie constitution-perhaps an exception
ought to be made of Switzerland-has
succeeded in maintaining a permanent
severance. In France, in Belgium. III
Italy, parliamentary interference neyel
has been abandoned for a momend
The facts show that government Ill
reference has meant running the-ra.N
ways not for the benefit of the nc
at large, but to satisfy local ard
ti0nal and even personal interest,"
Prussia, Mr.. Acworth said. "
best example of an efficient i
ment railway system, and he ~
out that military considerations
treated as OF. paramount importaf
the Prussian railway system. &
American freight rates had beensssSs
dueed nearly 40 per cent in tS5fTV
years, rates in Prussia were nearly al
high as at the beginning of the period
While the charge for moving a ton Of
freight n mile in the United States
was a trife over three-quarters OF a
cent, the rate in Prussia was IA
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 as Ouch service a
the government owned4 oads Of Ne
South Wales. The clrs4 i Tex /,
for hauling a ton of i 4 me mile
was less than l cent, wig he Aus.
tralian state it was well5 Nhts.
American railways leaOf ys
said Mr.. AcWorth. sNowkoaa