The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-09
HINES ADVOCATES
GIVING UP ROADS
Says They Should Be Surren-
dered at Earliest Possible
Moment.

Return OF the railroads OF the country
to private ownership at the earliest pos
sible date Is the only solution OF the
counry's transportation problem. in the
opinion of Walker d. Hines, Director
General Of the Federal Railroad Admin
istration. Mr.. Hines said as much last
night to the members OF the Economic
Club OF New York at their meeting at the
Hotel Astor. and afterwards sketched his
ideas of the means by which the event
may be brought about and the railroads
Of the country best ftted to serve the ma
tons business.
AS Director General of the Railroads
since the resignation of Mr.. McAdoo and
as the latters assistant prior to that date
and as chairman OF the board Of directors
q the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe,
Mr.. Hines has seen both sides Of the rail-
road problem He promised his speech
last evening on the assumption that per-
nanent Government control was impos-
sible.
To clear away such matters as can
be put to one side," he said in beginning
his remarks. Il start out by the state
ment that after careful investigation OF
this matter as a member OF the Rail.
| road Administration for the last fifteen
months, my conclusion is that the
proper, permanent solution OF the rail-
road question Is not permanent Govern
ment control, but to turn them back to
private ownership"
Admits Previous Evfl,,
Under the system of private owner
ship and Government and State regula-
ton In effect before the war, Mr.. Hines
said there were number OF fundamen-
oil 90
defects In the persons who were sp-
pointed to carry out the regulations. He
expressed the opinion that no group of
men could have carried out satisfactorily
the form OF regulation which existed at
that time. He went on:
1t IL difficult to put in tho order OF
their Importance these things that are
regarded as the fundamental evils but
certainly one OF the most serious was
the fact that we had In this country
'sJoIc w1Tust, . PEI "a r1Ts Wv
enues were more than 100000 a
year. and several hundred railroads
whose operating revenues were less, and
yet every one OF those several hundred
railroads was of Importance to some
part or the public and all those rail-
roads ought to have been in such situa-
ton that they could render an ADEQUATE
public service.
Among these several hundred rail-
roads there was every degree OF pros
perity and every degree OF adversely.
Nothing that was done could fail to do
more than was needed for some of the
companies and far less than was needed
for others. Rates had to be practically
uniform for all wages. largely to be on
the same basis for ALL and yet there
were these hopeless degrees OF adversely
that complicated every effort TO deal
with any public problem. No rates could
be flxed which were satisfactory to ALL
No wages could be nred which repre-
scented living basis for all.
Whenever a wage problem or rate
problem or any other general railroad
problem came up there was this Insu-
perable obstacle In the way OF salts
factory solution: that some companies
would prosper unduly on the results by
the regulation and others probably would
be driven to financial destruction. In
my opinion, no regulation in this coun-
try can possibly succeed which hampers
itself with that vast number of different
railroad companies, with that endless
diversity Of prosperity and adversely. So