Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-02-20
HOOVER ATTACKS
Rail. CONTROL
BY GOVERNMENT

NEW YORK, Feb. 1S.--The return
of the railroads to private ownership
on March / will mean the placing
of private operation on it's final
trial. in the opinion or Herbert
Hoover expressed last night in his
inaugural address as president of the
American Institute OF Mining En-
gineers At the same time} Mr..
Hoover attacked government; opera
ton of either railroads or, shipping
as experiments in socialism Inecessl-
tated by the war. to which there
were many fundamental objections.
mo scheme. Of political appoint
ment;' Mr.. Hoover said. has ever
yet been devised, that will replace
competition in its, selection of abil-
lty and character. Both :. shipping
and railways have today the adYafl-
tage Of many. skilled personnel, isift-
ed out in hard school of competi
ton. and even then tire government
operation of these enterprises is not
proving satisfactory. Therefore the
ultimate inefficiehcy ,jIat would
arise from the deadening paralysis
of bureaucracy has not yet had full
opportunity for development. Already.
we can. show that no government UNI
ical or sectional interests can prop
erIy conduct the risks of extension
and improvement. or can be free
from local pressure to conduct. un-
warranted services in Industrial en-
terprise."
After referring to the handicaps
imposed upon business through the
failure of transportation of facili-
~,
Hoover continued -. J. -,
Owners on Last Trial
"The return of the railways to
the owners places predominantly pri-
waite operation upon it's final trial.
If instant energy, courage and. large
vision in the owners should prove
lacking in meeting the immediate sit
uatiOn we will be faced with a re-
action that will drive the country to
some other form of control. 1Gner-
getic enlargement of equipment, bet
ter service, cooperation with em-
ployeS and the least possible advance
in rates together with freedom from
political interests will be the scales
upon which the public VIII weigh the
results"
Turning to the question of ship
ping. Mr.. Hoover said that, while with
the railroads government inefficient
cY. could be passed on to the. con-
sumner, ION the seas we will sooner
or later find it translated to The ma
tiOnal treasury The speaker as
serted that as government officials
could not engage in "higgling in
fixing rates" they must take refuge
in rigid regulation and in fixei
rates.
The problem of the relationship
between The employer and employee
was next discussed by Mr.. Hoover.
He asserted that the country had
Cntl recently greatly neglected the
human factor that is so large an
element in our productivity" and
. that this neglect had accumulated
Eruch of the discomfort and unrest
throughout the industrial population
and had reacted in a decrease of
production.
Il am daily impressed" he said,
with the fact that there is but one
way out, and that is to again re-
establish through organized repre-
sentation thar personal cooperation
between employer and employee in
production that was binding force
when our Industries were smaller.
The attitude of refusal to partici-
pate in collective bargaining with
representatives of the employees own
choosing is .:he negation of this
bridge to better elationship"
|. In respect to the ACTUAL, machinery
of government. Mr.: Hoover made
two recommendations. He proposed
the4 creation of single department
to deal with public works and tech
meal services, and the Inauguration
of a national budget. These recon-
mendations followed the lines of SIM
liar ones made by joint committees
representing various engineering So