Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-01-08

ing an alarming picture of the critical
situation which confronted it unless
1t got a rate Increase. This was nee
eSsary because the rate making tri-
hunal had no first hand information
derived from immediate contact and
direct sense of responsibility for
railroad management The rate-mak-
ing body approached the matter en-
tirely In an attitude of skep, ,iciSm. In
order to overcome this attitude the
railroad company had to stress all the
difficulties of its situation and fire.
quently was rebuked by the rate
making body for discrediting its credit
at the very time it was trying to inn
prove II. Yet believe this result was
inevitable under the old system, and
we Will soon see precisely the same
condition repeated if this feature of
the old system shall remain in opera
uon. The only way to avoid it is
through some radical reconstruction
of the management, which will bring
the public representatives into a di-
rect understanding and also into
direct and original responsibility for
the conduct of the business. Unless
this can he done | believe il is only
question of time when the remain
ing vestiges of private management
will come to be recognized as alto
eether impracticable.
Interests Must Re Pooled.
II do not believe that any form of
railroad operation can permanently
succeed in this country when conduct
ed through so many different railroad
arrangements as at present, The
public interest involved is almost com
pletely homogeneous, because from
one end of the country to the other
the public wants adequate service and
a complete interchange of equipment
in order to obtain that service and of
course enjoys uniform rates regard
less of the railroad on which the traf
fic is carried. The labor interest in
volved was largely homogeneous be-
fore the war and is almost completely
so at present. We cannot, therefore,
hope to succeed with a heterogeneous
lot Of railroad managements, over 100
In number with perhaps at least 50 of
n dominant character. These numer-
Gus arrangements will constantly em-
barrass each other in many ways. The
great variations of prosperity and adj
versity will completely BATTLE people
trying to understand the real facts as
to the needs of the railroads. l be-
lieve that it will be essential to con-
soldate the railroads through some
compulsory process into a few great
corporations upon the managements
Of which the public and labor will be
adequately represented"
Continuing Mr.. Hines said:
Defends Record.
"In this connection, let me say, that
despite the widespread fashion of crit
lcizing federal control of railroads and
attributing to II practically every con-
dition that grew out of the war, my /,
deliberate judgment is that federal
control has rendered some very i'm |
portant public services which far out
weigh any defects with which 1t may
be chargeable. For one thing, it pro- !
tected railroad credit through period |
of most critical financial difficulty. |
When we consider on the one hand |
the precarious situation of public util- /
tiles in many parts of the country, and |
on the other hand the results which |
the railroad properties have enjoyed |
during federal control, it must he |
clear that a highly important service |
has been rendered in the protection !
of investment in railroad property and |
of the due returns theretrom. Equal |
ly important results have been OBJ
tained from the standpoint of the gen
eral public. In a time of great diff
ficulty and with an amount of equip
meut which was inadequate even be-
fore federal control began, the unified
operation OF the railroads has pro-
duced total transportation service
greater than ever before in the history
of the country and has done it with
far less congestion and delay than was
of conditions of heavy
business under private control. Gen
orally speaking the period of heaviest
business is in the fall months In
these months both in 1918 and in 1919
the business was heavier than in any
periods prior to the
war. A greater volume of traffic was
moved and with far less congestion
than was characteristic of the condi-
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