El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-11-05

IF the government finds necessary to take over the coal
mines IN order end the cos strike, advocates Of gov
eminent ownership VIII doubt seize upon the Op-
porunty to further their cause just as they did in the
wartime seizure the wires and they su doing IN
federal operation Of the railroads.
SEIZURE OF THE MINES, IF IT HAS CONE, WILL
BE JUST As MUCH WAR MEASURE AS WAS The
LIBERALIZATION OF THE RAILROADS AND THE IS
SUE OF SPECIALIZATION OF UTILITIES is NOT IN
VOLVED IN EITHER CASE.
The fact that the government can successfully operate
the industries Of the country when occasion requires Is the
best possible argument against government ownership IN
the past the strongest point made By liberalization advo
Gates has been that such program would prevent strikes
and put the government IN position to control the essen
tial industries IN emergencies
TIE WAR SHOWED THAT OWNERSHIP IS NOT
NECESSARY FOR GOVERNMENT OPERATION, WHEN
OCCASION REQUIRES AND COAL NINE SEIZURE
NOW WOULD SHOW THAT THE GOVERNMENT CAN
STOP STRIKES WITHOUT OWNING THE INDUSTRIES
INVOLVED.
than destructive criticism, proponents Of private owner
ship derive their best argument, not BY pointing out the
mistakes and failures Of the railroad administration, but
rather By showing what the geniuz and thrift Of Amer
accomplished during the Puvate ownership era.
INCENTIVE MOVES THE WORLD BoLSHEvISM
IS FAILURE BECAUSE IT IAAES away PROM
1IEE THIS ONE THING THAT MAKES FOR PROGRESS.
IS ONE STEP TOWARD BOLSHEVISM. cam NEVER
SUCCEED. FOR THE SAME REASON.
The great economic waste which government ownership
brings because Of inency Of those IN control for
who managed under the old regime Tie difference IS that
the heads Of railroads hired hands with
problems Of competition to meet policies 70 formulate;
IN short incentive
The railroads get the guaranteed earnings, matter
how the balance sheet stands Only the government is the
loser and the losses fail not the railroads which bring
them about but the public at large. This condition
would prevail under permanent government ownership.
Australia has been experimenting ia the rail-
zszd business, too Government operated lines N
that commonwealth show direct loss Of S1f ,ooo,-
oo0 in the past year. according to the report Of the
railway commissioners. Tie losses in 1856 were
100000 and in 1857, sf1,5oooOa These
losses do not take into account any displacement
Of taxes g big sum indeed
Up to June go 1913 these railways had cost a little
billion dollars and there were zo25e niles
# reckon the tax loss at $500 per mile and tax
TIE railways IN this country ss22 per mile per year. this
less would amount to sf2Ooooo0 year.
But important still is the fact Of high freight
rates al the Australian lines. They nearly thrss
tines high this country taking the year 1915 as
example. Last year the people Of Australia paid
s65oooooo for their freight bill In 1917, rates in Aus
tIaa increased BY 10 percent but most Of them
wers fzed at percent increase the following year
These facts, from the official reports Ct the government
ITSELF show: Direct Losses Of So 10000 to 81 100000
year. loss Of taxes and high freight rates total s4o
100000 year OF total loss Of s5oOo0o0o annually
and top Of this wages averaging 80 to 20 percent less
than n this country for the railroad employees.
These tremendous losses have added 70 the burden
which the brought to the troubled Australian com
wealth Every other soGslzed scheme has proved
costly experiment and the nation finds itself pauper
state