Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-06
DEMAND RETURN
OF RAILROADS
'TJNSCRAMBLED'
Presidents of 125 Lines OPP
pose Five-Year Control
Plan of McAdoo

Philadelphia, Jan. 6.-Presidents
of 125 railroads. representing every
large system in the country, with the
| exception of the Southern Railroad,
met at the Bellevue-Stratford yester-
day and drew up a list of demands
for submission to the United States
foreign commerce, on Wednesday,
as the recommendation OF the rail-
roads of the nation.
The points made are:
1. Opposition to the McAdoo plan
or five years extension OF control
for the United States railroad ad-
ministration.
2. Refusal to accept a return of
the roads in the present scrambled"
state brought about by the railroad
administration.
s. Demands for thorogoing reme-
dial legislation that will preserve all
the good features of governmental
| control with the inclusion of the
benefits of private ownership.
4. Inauguration of some form of
national control that will permit
pooling of stations, ticket offices, and
equipment so far as possible.
o.. Rate revision upward to care
for increase in expenses.
: s. Com bination of the legislative
control over railroads with the rate
making power. At the present time
Congress, by its passage of the Ad-
amson act, has usurped the power
of regulation but has left the ques-
tion OF increases in revenue incur
red thereby in the hands of the in
terstate commerce commission.
Z. Removal of railroads from poll
tics.
Committee Goes to Washington
The committee of railroad men
who will appear before the Senate
committee are Thomas Dewitt Guy
ler chairman of the Association of
Railroad Executives; Alfred P.
Thorn, general counsel for the asso-
citation; 8. t. Bledsoe, general coun-
sci for the Atchison, Topeka and
Sante Fe; Howard Elliott, Presi-
dent of the Northern Pacific Rail-
road and chairman of the board of
the New York. New Haven and
Hartford; julius Kruttschnitt. presi-
dent of the Southern Pacific; Sam
uel Rea, president of the Pennsylva-
MIA Railroad, and Daniel Willard,
president of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad. and of the Chicago Ter
minal Company. The committee left
for Washington yesterday afternoon.
AT the conclusion of the session
yesterday, after a four-hour confer
ence had threshed out all phases of
the railroad problem, the official
statement of the association was is
sued by Mr.. Cuyler as follows:
The Association of Railroad Exc
cutives. representing 80 per cent. of
the railroad mileage of the nation,
adopted set of principles that it
believes ought to form the founda-
ton for the readjustment of the
railroads to peace conditions.
Through out our conference we
have kept in mind the fact, now uni
Versally recognized, that transporta-
ton is essentially a public service,
and that the public interest must be
paramount. The railroads will urge
that remedial legislation be enacted
as soon as compatible with the pub
lie interest; they will argue against
such a prolongation of the period
of uncertainty as has been proposed
by the director general of railroads;
and in their definitive suggestions
as to the form of legislation they
will favor the legislation under flu
ture private operation of a large part
of the measures taken by the gov
ernment railroad administration to
coordinate and nuify railroad facili-
ties.
I'm response to the invitation of
| the Senate committee on interstate
| commerce, which is now considering
| railroad legislation, representatives
of our association will appear before
that committee publicly to present
the views of the railroads. 1t is our
earnest hope and belief that out of
the present discussion there will soon
come constructive legislation that
will mark the dawn of a new era in
American transportation"
! Want Roads Back 'Unscramblcd'
| Former Senator Clarke, of Mon
| tana, copper magnate and presi-
dent of the Butte and Los Angeles
Railroad, summed up the views of
the railroad men in an interview Of
ter the conclusion of the conference.
He clarified the official statement by
giving definite voice to the opinions
of the railroad men.
I'VE want the railroads given back
before the expiration of the twenty
one-month period set afr the sign
ing of the peace conference" he
said, but we are perfectly content to
let the railroad administration use
that time to unscramble the difficult
ties into which it has plunged the
roads. Urder no circumstances
would we be willing to receive our
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