The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-01-27
M ADOO URCES|
FIVE-YEAR PLAN
Control of Railroads Neces-
Sary for Development of
Inland Waterways.
NEW MERCHANT MARINE
Further Reason Extension
of, Government Hold-op-
portunities Balance.

Santa Barbara, =, Jan. CIV.
G. McAdoo, form Tiirector- general
of railroads and :, ,cner secretary or
the treasury, ma public today a
telegram in whit : urged five-year
government con : of the railroads
as a necessity II ie development OF
inland waterways and for the CO.
ordination of the railroads and water
ways with the new American mer-
chant marine.
The telegram, addressed to Albert
Krell. chairman Of the Miami and
Erie improvement COMMITTEES OF the
Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce,
was sent in response to an invitation
to attend an inland waterways meet
ing today at Defiance, o.
The message said:
Regret it is impossible for me to
attend your inland waterways meet
| ing at Defiance Jan. 27.
"It seems to me futile to expend
great sums of money on the develop
ment of our inland waterways unless
our government adopts an intelligent
policy about railroad control. The
future of waterways Improvement is
absolutely dependent upon govern
ment which will enforce the opera
ton of the waterways and the rail-
roads as a co-ordinated and artlcu-
lated system which will give the peo-
pie the benefits of an efficient COM
bination of water ana rail facilities.
This cannot be accomplished under
the present railroad law which pro-
vides that the railroads cannot be
controlled by the government for a
longer period than twenty one
months after the return of peace,
Within a twenty one months period
no substantial development of exist
ing waterwWays can be made nor can
their operation in so brief period
afford any adequate test of their
values.
Upon the return Of the railroads
to private ownerships. which must be
made within the twenty y-one-
period as the present law provides,
the cutthroat competition of the rail-
roads under private control with the
partially developed waterways will
effectively destroy water transporta-
, tion as heretofore and the peoples
investment in thess facilities will
continue to be of little il any value.
ct have urged the congress to ex-
tend the period of federal control of
| the railroads for five years because
that will give us time TO develop some
! of the most important existing water
routes and CO. ordinate them with the
railroads and prove their worth as a
part of a great American transporta-
tion system.
II also feel that the government
should control the railroads and the
inland waterways for a period of five
years so that they may in turn be
o-ordinated with our government
! merchant marine, which las been
at Of hc ftpc h
lion dollars an1 which under existing
law the government controls for a
flve-year period.
"Unless we look NJ this great prob
/ lem with vision and from the stand
point solely of the American people
instead of from the stanGpo'rt CT the
selfish interest OF private railroad
owners, private steamship owners,
private shippers. private Investors, or
any other single class, we shall not
measure I'd TO Hur oblgatiCns TO the
American people nor realize the great
opportunities and destiny that lie
ahead of us.
"The confusion of counsel about
the railroad problem made daily mere
evident by the great variety of con-
ficting views and opinions now being
presented at the hearing before the
interstate commerce committee at
the senate at Washington makes it
more and more clear that the course
of wisdom, sagacity and prudence is
| to extend government control of the
railroads for five years that our
| inland waterways be developed to
the largest possible extent during that
period and that these inland water
ways and rail facilities be co-ordi-
mated with our great merchant ma
rine in an endeavor to get for Ameri-
can business enterprise a fair par
ticipation in the benefits of world
commerce.
mo part of our union is more vi
tally concerned in this question than
the great states of the Ohio and Mis-
sissippi valley as well as those bor-
dering on the lakes, the oceans and
the gulf. Many of their leading ports
will continue to be starved and their
development arrested unless they are
given a chance under the impartial
control by the government of rail
and steamship facilities.
"The powerful and sleepless forces
of reaction are solidly arrayed against
this plan. They will defeat it unless
| the American people are aroused to
| the situation. The time is short. The
| matter is vital. My earnest sugges-
! tion TO you and your associates is
I that you press upon the attention of
! the congress the importance OF the
! five-year control in order that the
things you want to accomplish may
I be brought about.