The Connecticut labor press., 1920-03-27
LAW AID TO MANUFACTURERS ASSERTS MERRITT In Statement to Association Urges Help to Save
 Roads.
 IN DANGER OF RUIN Government Control Seen With Hoover by Stamford
 Congressman.
IN DANGER OF RUIN

Congressman Schuyler Merritt of Stamford, has prepared a statement for the Manufacturers Association of Con- necticut on the new railroad law in which he says that the new law will be an aid to Connecticut manufacturing. To save the railroads from ruin Con- gressman Merritt urges the utmost CO., operation Ill order that mistakes of former management may be eliminated. The statement follows:
 Tt IS difficult for anyone who did not serve on the committee on inter- state and foreign commerce to appreci- ate the compllexity and variety of the interests involved, to every one of which the committee desired to do jus tice, and yet it often happened that what seemed to be justice to one in- terest would work injustice to another. This state of facts necessitated com promises in many details of the bill and also forced the committee to the con- clusion that the basis for all railway legislation must be, not primarily the in terests of the railways, not of their security holders, nor of the shippers, considered as separate classes. The only sure foundation on which a proper bill could be built was to consider railways and water carriers as parts of great national transportation machine and to legislate SO that that machine could be made efficient at the present time and so that means could be afforded to in crease the capacity of the machine to meet the constantly expanding demands upon 1t.
 "A1l of the great features of the bill as to regulation by the interstate com merce commission, the matter of finance, and finally the supreme matters of rates and of labor, were drawn with the above end in view. It needs no argument to convince @ne intelligent manufacturers of Connecticut that prompt and efficient service Is more essential to their prosperity than un- duly low rates. Sufficient object lessons have been given them during the past two or three years to show the cost of delays, embargoes, shortage of fuel and shortage of material and to demonstrate that no possible freight rates could be so expensive as an inefficient transpor- tatlOn machine.
 ''New England is a great work shop and must import its raw materials for manufacture and large part of its food for operatives.
 Tt IS in effect great railway ter minal, and 1t IS essential to all man. u1d(lul HE c1Ad lllClNdIlll1C illlCi CSlS lIldl the efforts of the railways to get loaded freight cars in and the un1oaded cars away promptly should be seconded by manufacturers with their best co-opera- ton and efforts.
 Especially in this time of transition, when the ordinary difficulties of man. agement are complicated by special diff culties due to necessary re-adjustments and to the efforts of all the railroads to get back their own rolling stock, the utmost forbearance should be shown to the roads and as little as possible should be added to their troubles and embar- rassments by minor claims and minor disputes over matters which could well be passed by and which will in time correct themselves.
 Our own great New Haven system has been and is still suffering for the sins and mistakes of former manage ment. This is only another reason for good will and cooperation with the present management, which IS trying to correct the results of those errors. The failure of the operation of the roads un- der existing law can only result finally in government management. Anything more destructive to efficiency, to cheap transportation, or more corrupting to railway management and the country, or menacing to. the very constitution itself I cannot imagine"