The Evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1917-1920, 1918-12-05
MHATLL WE DO WITH THEM

Congress has railroad problem on
its hands, and doesn't know what to
do with it.
Neither, apparently, does the Amer
lean Nation as a whole. So effective
had been the warnings of our experts
against over-Optimism that even when
the war was being actually won We
went on thinking that fighting would
continue at least until the fall of 1919
The sudden ending of hostilities left
most of us without much of an idea
about the return to peace conditions.
1t is inconceivable, Wilson told Con-
gress, that We should go back to the
old system of railroad ownership and
management. Yet he added that rath-
er than permit long-continued uncer-
tainty as to this great industry he
would turn back the roads to their
old wasteful competitive system and
unleash on them the Interstate Com
merce Commission and the forty-eight
utilities commissions of the forty
eight states. Under that system each
road was subject to at least a dozen
commissions, all of which told the
road managers what they must no.
do, but none of which gave any Coz
structive aid.
In the first place. even the most
enthusiastic advocate of private own
ership may well hesitate when he con-
siders the problem of unscrambling
the eggs. 1t might be simple to sep
arate the cars of one line, at pres
ent pulled over the rails of COM
peting line by locomotives of still /
another line. But what of the brand |
new equipment and the brand new |
tracks and especially the new termin- !
ais furnished by Uncle Sam. To split |
terminal system would destroy it |
if it is turned over to one' road other
roads are at a disadvantage; if all
use it in common what becomes of
the cut-thrOat competition that our eff
forts at regulation have insisted on?
A complete system of Government
ownership would not be such a long
step beyond the present system. 1t
would involve the purchase of the
roads and their operation through
some such machinery as the present
RaiIrOad ADMINISTRATION
A compromise between the two plans
was suggested by President Wilson,
but he did not venture to outline any
tentative system.
Might not a system of private own
ershiD and Government control be the
solution? Cleveland, under the lead
ership of Mayor Tom Johnson, gave
the country an example of this, which
has worked well even under the stress
of war conditions. Although the plaI. ,
was compromise, and as such a dis
appointment to Mayor Tom," it has
given the city probably the best car
service in the country, undoubtedly
the lowest fare. and at the same time !
complete satisfaction to the stock
holders, who form not an inconsid-
cradle part of the city's population. :
The link between the city and the :
street car company is the traction
commissioner, who might be consid-
cred analogous to the director-gen-
eral of railroads if the plan were
adapted to the Nations problem. The
traction commissioners is appointed
by the mayor, but paid by the COM
pany. He determines the service to
be given on each line, and he o K'sl
1r vetos proposed expenditures. The
company officials attend to the actual
operation of the cars and take in the
money. Dividends are paid at the
ate of per cent per annum, and
ire practically guaranteed. When the
und from which they are paid falls
90 low the ear fare is raised. When
he fund rises too high, the fare is
owered. The satisfaction of the
stockholders is shown by the fact that
he stock has sold consistently at be-
ween 500 and STA a share.
Under such a plan the Government
,ould order extensions or new roads
which would not pay Immediately. but
which were needed for the DEVELOPMENT
# the country. The cost would of