Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1919-05-16

| Of the American Merchant Marines
namely: whether American shipbuild
ers can compete in building costs will
foreign ship yards and whether Amer
! lean ships can be operated as cheap,
ly as foreign ships. He stated his con
viction that there is no reason 70!
anxiety on either point, he then gave
reasons substantiating his beliefA
The cost of operating an American
ship when compared with a similar
ship under a foreign flag, does not
.aake it impossible for US to COM
pete successfully with the ships of
other nations.
The matter CT government opera
tion Of railroads was discussed by
Fedora Director, Walker D. Hines,
Senator Albert 3. Cummins of Iowa,
and President Samuel Rea, of the
Pennsylvania Railroad. Differing but
slightly in the methods they proposed
for government regulation. The bur-
den of the address of each speaker
was that the best interests Of the
country demanded the prompt return
of the properties, the Inference being
that government operation had proved
failure.
The concensus of opinion as evi-
c;erced in the remarks of the spea;;-
2rs was that the chief objection Il
private ownership was the disparity
prtu;een the large roads over the
smaller, but competing lines, which
must be met with merger that
Y Guild l.:caEcra;e IL tie "allr0ads
systen,s cf the country into score
of large Systems that will assure
equal advantages and preclude the
prc-war conditions, when many OF
the properties were running big di-
yldcnds, while other less favored hut
competing lines were on tie verge o.
bankruptcy.
OF particular Interests to Alexan
dria was discussion of the housing
problem, in which Secretaries from ali
eyer the United States told how they
had met the problem and were solving
j.. Mep from Al, over the country
told of saving organized companies
in their Chambers Of Com
merce and developed as stool; COM
oan:es, who built anywhere frorl ten
4 two-hundred AMI fifty houses las.
:ear and w~re repeating their lid
ilg program this year.
While none of these projects we're
planned for great financial gains,
tney had proved without exception to
;e good investments. and all promised
4 fair return on the investment. None
# the cites. as far e we were able
10 judge, had more urgent need to
l1eet when they went into this p:rpo-
s;tion than Alexandria has to meet
It the present time, nor did they have
IS promising a future as Alexandria
has.
We feel sure that if you gentlemen
Lad heard the experiences of t'.esc
men as expressed at this meeting
ao.hing would deter you from getting
actually behind such a movement in
Alexandria and to make permarent
future by making i. .
community CT home builders and home
>w7ers. Proper housing and home
tuy.ng would solve many of Alexan.
lria's problems ard would do much
toward making our citizenship salts.
fed and permanent and we hope you
gentlemen Will determine TO get be-
hind tbs movement, which has been
tagging rr TO the present time. AMI
>clvc :he problem in logical and IN
Ialiigcn: manner.
We feel that there is no thought
that we can bring to you from st.
Louis that is of any more importance
ut the present time than this matter
oc home building which means the
proper and logical growth of our
;ity along the bes: ard most perma-
neHt lines.
WILL ASSIST