The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1919-07-22
PRE.WAR RAILWAY CONDITIONS

PRE-WAR RAILWAY CONDITIONS
Some surprising statements are made
bv Regional Director of Western Rail-
roads Hale Holden, in his published inter-
view:
'1n my travels in the past year, cover
ing $4,000 miles, am convinced that the
railroad properties of the United States
are in as good shape as they were when
the railroad administration took them ov-
er more than two years ago." said Mr..
Holden.
Going further into the question Of fed
eral control of railroads as it concerned
the private owners and their interest in
their lines he said that everything posi-
BILE was being done to maintain the lines
at their prewar efficiency.
"The railroads Of the west are in good
shape. During the war some of the east
ern districts had hard time keeping en-
ough men on the lines to care for them.
In some sections the situation was desper-
ate. In the west such condition has new
err existed. From the very first and even
while the war was at its height we have
never been seriously handicapped for suf-
ficient men to work on the roads"
"Of coulse the present situation is
simple" M. Holden went on, "and in the
future it viii be comparatively easy to
keep the roads up to their usual high
standard"
If Mr.. Holden is correct in his asser-
tons that the railway properties are in
as good condition as they were when the
railroad administration took them over
and that it will be comparatively easy to
keep the roads up to their usual high STAN
dard, he must have some superior knowl-
edge that controverts all available stats
tics. If he is referring to the physical con-
dition of the roads, it is unbelievable that
they can be in as good shape as they were
considering that the usual betterments
have not been kept up under government
control ad wear and tear will work SER
ious deterioration. If he refers to the fin
ancial condition of the roads he can easily
get into lively argument with members
of congress who have recently been called
upon to give Director General Hines
750,000,000 for some purpose, supposed.
ly to run the roads until the end of the
year 1919.
If government is making such sue
CESS DIS WI. I1Oluen lHtlifldteS, why is III
the announced intention of the President
to return the railroads to private contro
at the earliest opportunity?
Samuel 0. Dunn, editor of the Railway
Age, whose opportunity for ascertainine
facts ought to be fairly good, says that
the railway situation under government
control has become so bad that it is al
most good, because it would appear that
tout of this nettle, danger, we pluck the
flower, safety" He shows that the rail
road administration deficit in the yeal
1918, after payment of the guaranteed re-
turn to the railway companies, was over
1926, 100000, that nearly all of the rail
ways failed to earn their guaranteed re,
turns, that if the railroad administration
should relatively do as badly throughout
1919 as it did in the first four months OF
the year it would fail by $700,000,000 tc
earn the guaranteed return He thinks
years experience of government man.
agement has killed much of the sentiment
in favor of it and that the national wei
fare demands return to private owner
ship as soon as practicable.
It may be true that everything posi-
BILE is being done to maintain the lines at
their prewar efficiency but he who runs