The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-12-14
lie Recommends Continuance o.
Government Operation Of
Railroads for Five Years.
SAYS FAIR TEST HAS
NOT YET BEEN MADE
People Of United States Have a
Right to Have Test of Govern
naent Ownership Made Under
Normal Conditions.

! Washington, Dec. 11.-Extcnsion Of
. the period of government control OF
: railroads for I've years, until January
F! l. 1924, was recommended TO congress
tonight Ey Director General McAdoo.
Advantages Of this, Mr.. McAGoo said,
are that it would take the railroad
question out Of politics for the pros
ent, give time for carrying out an
active program Of improvements and
! provide opportunity for fair test OF
unified control to indicate the pernna-
aent ~o.ution CT the railroad problem.
The president has given ne per
.:lission to say that this conclusion ac-
! cords with his own view OF the mat
;er.' Mr. M:Adoo concluded.
The letter was addressed to Senator
Smith o! South Carolina and Repre-
t.f the senate and ho1-se interstate
commerce committees. Mr.. McAdco
explained that TO continue government
operation for p menths after form Ii
declaration OF peace under present
conditions would mean disruption Of
morale among employees and officers.
and could not enable the government
to go ahead with improvements and
purchase Of equipment. Another al
tentative. the prompt return Of the
railroads 60 private control without:
legislation 10 permit elimination of the
Old wa.steful competition, would be
"hurtful alike TO the public interest
and to the railroads themselves, he
said. and the difficulty Of Cbtainin2
Immediate legislation providing a per
r.anent solution. is apparent.
There is one. and to my mind
only one. practicable and wise alter
native" Mr. McAdoo continued, "and
j that is to extend the peried~cf feder-
al control from the one year and nine
months provided by the present law to
Gye years. or until the first day Of Jan
urav, 1924 This extension would
take the railroad question out of poll
tics for a reasonable period. It wcuit!
ci1-e con:Dosrro tc railroad officers
ard employees. 1t would admit Of the
prepare tor and carrying out OF 4
comprehensive program OF improve
,ients CT the railroads and their te:-
njrai facilities which would immense
! - incprcra TIC facilities of the trans
p3-;ation machinery: it would put
/ hacl, Ct the railroads tho credit Of the
! I'nitnd States during +he fife year pc
riod 50 that the financing of these
/ improvements could be successfully
carried out It would offer the neces
sary opportunity under proper condi-
tons to test the value Of the unified
control. and the experience thus gain
| ed would OF itself indicate the per-
manent solution of the railroad prob
lem.
The American people have a right
to have this test. They should not be
denied il. It is TO their interest that
it should be done. In my opinion. II
IS the cn'y practicable and reason
solution OF this grave economic prob
| lem.
Il am not now and have not been
for The past year interested in proving
or disproving the theory of govern
ment ownership or any other Kind OF
thecr.:-. The railroads have been op-
Grated for the past veaI with the pUr-
nose OF serving efficiently tho para
mount reeds Of the war ana ct the
sarlA timn furnishing the best pos
siflc service to tho public whether
such operation tended to prove or to
disprove any theory Of railroad coz
;roi 10 matte: what it might be.
h&ve formed no opinion myself as to
what is me best Disposition OF the rail /
road problem because the test has
not been sufficient 20 prove conclu-i
sively the right solution Of the prob J
:er. 7 believe that a FIVE year test
will give the American people the
right answer. Az ounce Of experience
is worth q ton Of theory.
There are those who may say that
IN extension Of five years for such 4
test Will mean government owne"- +
snip. Personally I Go not believe t. .
Pu: whether such a test would indi-
cate tr2t tho ultimate solution shall
hc @o%ernMent ownership Or a modi- T
fed form Of private ownership under
effective federal regulations. should :
not cause Us to hesitate or refuse to
act"
IL congress does not extend the
time for government control" sa.d
aTr. McAdoc. ''tha railroads should be
returned to private management IT
the earliest possible moment"
Practical difficulties Of CONTINUING
government operation under eXistin%i
authority he pointed out. are the
growing conflicts of authority !,e-
:we"n state aid federal Jurisdictions.
inadeGuacy Of the half billion dolia:'
re"o'vins fund for financing improve
frle:.tS. INABILITY to force railroads tc
p"y for cars and locomotives w!thc;1
end 10 require terminal iE;-
DrovcmentS.
Havana. Dec. 12.-There is some