The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-04-06
GOVERNMENT CONTROL CONDEMNED.

. GOVERNuENI SOV1IaAA-N&Ao.
Announcement from Ottawa that the order
of the Canadian railway commission for higher
railroad rates probably viii be upheld by the
dominion government as a war measure. makes
lit worth while TO recall what one OF the most
successful railroad executives In the world has
said abut cur great experiment in government
control and operation OF transportation lines
/ Lord Shaughnessy, president OF the Canadian
Pacific does not believe that it wise for the
United States to abandon the system of private
control even In time of war. In an arucis
printed in the Toronto Globe he said: The eff
cheney and absence of congestion with which
J our enormous war traffic has been handled
might well be taken to heart by our American
friends. who. if I may venture the suggestion.
are looking too hopefully 10 the centralized Ell
| fort OF an overworked government, when they
! should depend more on the trained enterprise OF
the individual industrial units that have been so
efficiently developed during times OF peace
The individual industrial units TO which he re-
fered had been developed TO high state OF
efficiency Few denied then, and probably none
DENY now that the experienced men IN charge OF
transportation were better qualified than the
government for the work of running the roads
But Lord Shaughnessy took too little account
of the extent TO which the trained enterprise OF
the individual Industrial units had been handi-
capped by the government, which imposed bur
densome restrictions while keeping rates too
low. The roads welcomed the relief promised
in the guarantee Of earnings for the war period,
not because their management was lncompe-I
tent, but because the government, by the adop-
ton OF a mistaken policy. had made private
management ineffective. There are signs that
the government has learned its lesson, but uIa-
Outstanding came TOO late to prevent abandon
nent OF private control In the war crisis
The situation Is different and better In Can
ada. There. as Is said By the president OF the
Canadian Pacific. the ..only real handicap
was the difficulty OF financing the operation OF
the railways at the old rates when cost Of labor
and cost of material kept mounting up That
was the most serious handicap here. With aD-
solute power IN rate control, the government
made no effort TO remove it. Government OPP
Grafton followed az matter or course Private
Operation Of important transcontnental lines in
Canada viii continue while the government per
mits the roads TO earn living wage.
No other member of the administration is so
well qualified as Secretary Lane to speak OF the
need for water power development. In urging
the committee IN charge Of proposed develop
rnent legislation to make haste, he said that
prompt action In congress would prevent any
slowing down OF production by lack OF coal
Water power development he continued would
release coal for the use Of homes, war vessels
and merchant ships. Mr.. Lane looks for long
war, and asks for the conservation Of all our re-
sources as a vital necessity. Whether he be
right or wrong about the duration of the war,
we are bound to make the most of our energy. |
All viii be needed while the present struggle
lasts. and we cannot afford to be handicapped
by waste when we enter upon the period OF
after-war competition. Waste in the United
States viii help our trade rivals abroad.
The supreme war council of the allied ma !
tons denounces the treaties forced on Russia /