The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1918-01-04
Us. WILL soon
OWN RAILROADS
Raj. HEADS SAY CDCNTTT WILL.
Nt,NFR il,9l-s,E TD PRIVATE
COrIilOi..
M'AD00 NAMES HEADS
steps Taken a. Hciicyc COUgcstod
Condition, Advantages of Nom
Competition Stressed.

Washington. Dec. Definite
stops toward national uuiGcatiOn Ol
railroads and Improvement OF con-
gostcd conditions were taken To-day
nv Director General McAdoO in the
appointment OF temporary sian and
the issuing of his first formal order
directing absolute pooling Of all
traffic common utilization Of ter
mtnals. rolling stock and other iacil-
tiles. hauling OF FREIGHT 10y the short
est routes. and retention Of all pres
eut officers and employees
Special instructions were issued for
the clearing of congestion in New
York and Chicago through pooling Of
terminals and other traffic facilities.
and Alfred H. Smith. president Of
the New York Central. was named
temporary special assistant to SUI
pcrvise transportation in the trunk
line territory east of the Mississippi
and north of the Ohio River, where
congestion is greatest.
Walker ID. Hines, of New York. a
railroad lawyer. and for many years
a special student of Government OPP
Grafton. was appointed Assistant d.
rector General, pending the formation
of permanent staff. The Inter-
state Commerce Commission was
drafted for an immediate investiga-
ton by its inspectors of general
freight conditions on Eastern trunk
lines
Wage Increase Denied.
While the Director General was
comforting today with a number of
railroad heads, Interstate Commerce
Commissioners and members of Con-
grcss are planning immediate action
to remedy faults of transportation, 1t
became known that the demands of
the four railway brotherhoods for q
40 per cent wage increase had been
denied by the railroads, and that
consequently the labor men had de-
cided to postpone for probably sixty
days the presentation of their case 10
the Government. it was thought
probable that President Wilson would
take up the labor situation in his adj
dress to Congress next Thursday or
Friday.
Congressional agencies went To
work to-day on the new railroad
The Senate Interstate
Commerce Committee at special
hearing drew from Chairman Hal,
If the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion. the statement that the Govern
ment's failure to centralize priority
administration was largely RESPONSE
Die for freight congestion.
Congress To Act Speedily.
Senator Cummins. ranking Repub-
lean member of the Senate Interstate
commerce Committee in conference
With Mr.. McAdoO, expressed the Opin-
,
,asis of Government compensation
o the roads, would be passed speed ,
~ though not without some OppOsi-
ion to the Presidents suggestion of
TO the companies tho
verage earnings for the last three
ears
The Railroad War Board, whose
ervice has been solicited temper ,
rily by the director general, to-day =,
resented recommendations for
peedy moving OF freight i'm the Chi :,
ago congested center and made
lumber of other suggestions for ,
economies and efficiency under the 9
ew unidcation plan. -
The railroad chiefs freely predicted
o-day that the advantages OF the .
reat noncompetitive system now be- !
ns developed would soon become :
0 apparent that the country never L
-ould revert to the old plan OF pri-
ate control. They even went so far !,
$ to predict very definitely that
government ownership as well as
nntrol would be development of
My few years. :
The feeling among railway exec @
tiyes that Government assump- :,
on of control makes Government o
inevitable is based on two
First. il is held that once q
le roads are co-ordmated and oper- -
ed as one system il viii be impos- !,
bic To go back to the old com -
,titive system. The public. IL Is
cleared never would be willing for
loh IA gigantic combination 10 OBJ
ate a private corporation. The See l.,
I'd reason is that stockholders. once
laranteci fair return on their in
'stmonts in railroad stocks, wouid ,t
II want to return to the uncertain 81
IS OF present private operation.
E,oIsoyn