Gunnison news-champion., 1919-01-03
SHALL THE GOVERNMENT OWN
AND CONTROL THE RAILROADS

very nicely.
-Buy W. =. s.
SHALL THE GOVERNMENT OWN
AND CONTROL THE RAILROADS
That is to be a burning question in
American public life and the Ameri-
can public might as well begin to
study the problem from all angles.
To start the matter News-Champion
has been interviewing a number of
railroad employees in Gunnison and
we find them practically unanimous
in favor of the plan. One or two are
non-committal. Some are in favor
of the. McAdoo idea of a five year
trial period, but the great majority
appear convinced already that gov
ernmcnt ownership is the thing.
Look at the situation before the
government took control" they say.
Shipments balled up from one end of
the country to the other. trains delay
ed, freights overloaded and dragging
along at a snaifs pace, employees dis
satisfied, roads facing bankruptcy.
While the roads have not made any
particular money during war times,
it was hardly expected that they
would. The essential things were to
move the soldiers and their equip
ment and get the crops to market re-
gardless of expense. This has been
done and the way is now open for COM
pctent management to straighten out
the other tangles. The men have been
granted increases in salaries, that is
true, but no more in proportion than
the increase in the cost of living, if
As much. Large economics have been
introduced in freight and passenger
handling, exhorbitant salaries of di-
rectors and officials have been cut,
and the roads compelled to "tote fair"
On the other hand railroad officials,
close to the salaried heads are not en-
thusiastic. They assert all manner of
disasters ahead. The Rio Grande has
had its transcontinental business bad
ly cut by rerouting on shorter lines.
The Colorado Midland, has been prac-
tically annihilated as a road. Favored
stockholders have had their dividends
reduced and favored shippers are COM
planning.
A vital point for Western Slope
folks to consider is how it would af-
feet the needed broad gage. at will
bring It," declare some employees. No
broad minded management will con-
tinue long the grossly inefficient
transfer at ,Salida and Montrose, or
the routing of Montrose and Delta
and Gunnison county freight hundreds
of miles out of the way via Grand
Junction. Most of US, if we believed
that, would favor government owner
ship instanter, because broad gage
is the crying need of Western Colo
rado, but is the argument certainly
true?
A valuable contribution to the dis
cussion is given by an editorial on the
Pueblo Chieftain quoted on page four
of this paper.
What the railroad men of Grand
Junction think is illustrated by the
following clipping from the Daily
News of that city, printed Tuesday.
On account of the Ban on public meet
ings there has been no united action
by employees of the third division at
Gunnison as yet.
News-Champion will be glad to pub
lish contributions pro and con from
either citizens or railroad men.
buy w. =. s.
All r. X. Men in this Section for Fed.
Ownership
Grand Junction News:
At meeting of the Brotherhood
of Railroad Trainmen held in Odd
Fellows Hall last evening, practically
the last of the local organizations Of
railroad men endorsed the movement
instituted in support of the govern
ment ownership of the railroads of
the nation. The support of the rail-
road men of this section is said to he
practically unanimous in regard to he
organization of a government own "
ship league to advance the interests
of the policy.
buy w. 3. S.
Rico Item: All over the U. S. the
most pronounced optimism is appar-
ent. Bankers, manufacturers and bus
mess men believe that a great era of
development is just ahead. The banks
are in the best possible condition, and
have the monuey to turn the wheels
of industry and to transport our pro-
ducts overseas. The laboring people
have no cause for complaint and ex-
pect to prosper for some time to come
The farmers are a favored class just