The sun., 1919-02-08
Railway Problem Solutions BY Men
who Do and Don't Know
What They Are.


All the grotesque proposals to solve
the railway problem are not spilled
into the public prints merely by the
leaders Of the labor unions employed
by the railroads. The inexperienced
college professor. the cheap politician,
the parlor Socialist alike feel quail
fed to take a whack at 1t. Perhaps
one Of them wouldn't make any worse
wreck of the national transportation
system than another, because, which
ever one had his way, the resulting
wreck would be, in mathematical
terms, 100 per cent
If the scheme submitted by the
railway brotherhoods is merely ridicu-
lous it isn't any more SO, for example.
than the recent suggestion OF Mr..
WILLIAM ]. BRYAN. 1t Is true that
40 the proposal of the heads Of the
railway brotherhoods Is presented 1t
shows that financial and other essen
tails have never dawned upon them.
They ask the Government to buy the
roads. Then they ask the Govern
ment to provide $500. OOO, 900 Of work
ing capital. Then they ask that the
labor engaged by the roads be peg
mitted to conduct the roads and divide
with the Government the profits above
the cost of operation.
The brotherhOOds do not take into
account the fact that in addition to
the revenues required to operate the
roads a little matter Of approximately
S1.OOOOOO,OOO a year must be put into
the roads for an indefinite period to
build them up, to extend them and
otherwise to preserve their present
and future capacity and efficiency.
They do not reckon anything at all
about the losses.
Can anybody picture brotherhood
chief when there are two men on one
mans job knocking one OF the men
on in an effort to stop losses? For
the railroad business Is full of that
trouble. 1t is one Of the things which
are wasting hundreds of millions of
dollars year Of the companies rev.
enues.
Can anybody picture brotherhood
chief insisting, when there is only one
man on one mans Job, that he put in
n full days work, not only In sitting
on the Job but in saving wood on 1t or
be fired?
Can anybody picture a brotherhood
chief insisting that nobody should get
dollar Of pay unless he delivered a
dollar of work?
II anybody can picture a brother
hood chief doing those things, then he
can also picture that brotherhood
chief being skyrocketed higher than
Gilderoy's kite by his own brother
hood.
But BRYAN's proposal Is Just as
preposterous. BRYAN says the solu-
tlon is for the Government to own
and operate a few great trunk line
systems so as to assure natural
transportation from seaconst to sea
coast and from border to border, leay-
ing all the others TO shift for them
selves. What does BRYAN think
would happen to the great trunk lines
If all the little feeders Of the trunk
lines were left to go 10 the scrap
heap? What does he think would
happen to the industrial agencies in
the States, in the counties, In the
townships?
Then, with the trunk lines para
lyzed because the feeders were para
Iyzed, and the industrial communities
away from the trunk lines here, there
and everywhere paralyzed because
the feeders were paralyzed, what does
Mr.. BRYAN think would happen to the
nation?
Contrast the simple. clear thoughts
OF man who, In discussing the rail
way problem. knows what he Is talk
ing about. In a few hundred words
Mr.. FRANCIS LEE STUART, consulting
engineer of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad, gave the American Society
OF Civil Engineers the very essence
Of the matter. In three sentences W,
may paraphrase his explanation OF
the unacceptable needs OF our vas
railway system.
The first essential Of natIona
transportation system that can oper
ate at fun speed and at the highest Of
ficicncy is an abundance OF capital t.
build 1t, to equip it and to keep 1t NJ
10 perfect standard.
The second essential is an abun
dance OF revenues to pay the bills.
uhe third essential Is an abundanc