Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-02-03

/
eral Hines, testifying before the senate
! interstate commerce today for the
/ first time since his appointment as
! railroad head, declared he did not be-
! lieve in government ownership but in
! organization of a few big railway COM
panies subject to close government
( supervision.
! Il do not believe there is anything
substantial in the argument that a FIVE
! year extension Of government operation
would necessarily mean government
! ownership" Mr.. Hines said. Il do no,
! personally believe in government
| ownership. | believe there can be a,
! form of radically reconstructed private
ownership with such government
! supervision. including government rep
resentation on the board of directors.
as will give the public and labor all the
| benefits OF government ownership and
at the same time will preserve the
benefits of private and self-interested
initiative and will avoid the political
difficulties which perhaps are INSOFAR
able from government ownership.
Would Squeeze Out Water.
81 believe that all the object which |
| think must he achieved in order to obs
tain permanent solution can be &C
com mplished thru the creation Of :. COM
| paritively few railroad companies
which will have capitalization equal
only to the real value OF the property
and which will have a moderate guar
arteed return with the right to par
! ticipate moderately in any additional
profit.
To permit development OF n coMpre-
rensive and permanent solution Mr..
Hines renewed Mr.. McAdoo"s recon-
| mendation for a five year extension OF
government control. and explained IL
ihis were not done. he believed II would
be best for all interests concerned to
relinquish government control without
| waiting for expiration of the twenty
one months period provided by the ex-
isting law.
Would Go Slowly.
Discussing the reasons for taking
more time for considering legislation
| he said:
"A very strong feeling prevails that
this question is being pushed now by
! 'iiV p"u tNttutiNtS because InPN
feel that the going is particularly
good and that they had better make
private management hay while the
anti government ownership sun contin-
ues to. shine. 7 do not believe a solu-
| tion in this spirit is going to satisfy
! the public"
! SO far as physical operations are
! concerned. said the director general,
there is now no emergency which calls
! on the government to continue con-
troll of the railroads. He explained
| that the methods adopted by the rail-
road administration during the war
now are open to reconsideration in
| light Of peace considerations, adding
! that this had been Mr. McAdoo's at
| titude.
Echoes McAdoo's Arguments.
Mr.. Hines presented the following
| arguments for a five-year extension:
at will give advocates OF govern
ment ownership full opportunity to
press their views without being in
| fluenced by the temporary reaction
against government control.
| at will remove the necessity for
undue haste in solving such big
program as the future of the rail-
roads
ct will stabilize employment and
wage conditions. pclmih prosecution
Of big program Of improvements
! and extensions. help to take up the
, slack in employment and materials
during the critical period of readjust-
mcnt.
at will protect security holders
pending an ultimate solution.
1T will protect security holders
pending an ultimate solution.
I 1T will minimize the danger OF
making the railroad question a purely
partisan issue to be considered in an
illogical manner in the presidential
election"
| After.War Reaction.
On the othar hand. Mr.. Hines said
| that IL the extensions were not made
the roads should be relinquished be-
fore expiration Of the twenty one
months. He made in substance these
explanations:
There isvnow reaction from patri-
otic tension of war times resulting in a
critical and hostile attitude by the
public toward government management
and this makes control difficult.
Proponents of particular theories of
railroad operations are finding in gov
| ernment control under abnormal war
conditions and of the present 'inade-
puate and temporary form, argument
for supporting their varying theories
| the uncertainty OF the future on the
part of employees would increase as the
| twenty one months period would draw
| to a close.
/
| time to complete any extensions and
| improvements, and 1t would be hard
for the government to undertake such
a program which would not show re-
lsults during the control period.