The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-12-09
IMMEDIATE PAYMENT
TO THE RAILROADS
OF Sums Due Them Under Guaranty
Provisions of Transportation Act
Declared to Be Vital.

| declared TO De vital.
Washington, ID. c., Dec. Gimme
date payment to the railroads of sums
due them under the guaranty pro
visions of the transportation act but
withheld under the ruling of the comp
troller of the treasury was declared
| by the interstate commerce commits
sion in its annual report to-day to be
vital in order that the car
riers may properly serve the public
The commission recommended that
Congress amend the railroad act to
permit the release and payment to
| the roads of the money thus tied up
Many of the roads are greatly Jhandi-
capped because of their inability to
| collect the guaranty, the commission
said. Although advances against the
anticipated deficit were made in scores
of instances, the report said, some OF
the roads made no application for aid
prior to Sept and as result they
are estopped from claiming even a
portion of moneys Justly due them
until the mechnical work of completing
their audit for the entire guaranty pc
Rod can be accomplished.
The commission said that in most
cases it could now determine amounts
or parts of amounts due the carriers,
but that its certifications of these
sums to the treasury could not be
honored by the treasury since the
comptroller had ruled that such appli-
cations for advances must have been
granted prior to Sept. |. The com
mission believed it should be. author
lied to make reasonable estimates" to
alleviate the difficulties confronting
many carriers in meeting operating
expenses, fixed charges, etc.
The years rail operations have de
veloped the need of several other
changes in laws, the commission said.
1t urged Congress to amend the in
terstate commerce act to provide for
the punishment of any person offering
or giving to an employee of carrier
subject to the act any money or thing
of value with intent to influence his
action or decision with respect to ear
service and also to provide for the
punishment of the guilty employe."
Appropriate legislation governing
the transportation of explosives was
asked as were changes in laws affect
ing the awarding of reparations Tor
damages which, the commission held,
should be a matter entirely for the
adjudication of courts.
The menace of wooden passenger
coaches was sot forth rs another sub
iect for legislative action. the com
mission urging that the roads be com
PEELED to use steel ears in all passen-
ger train service and prohibited from
using wooden cars between or in front
of steel coaches.
Referring TO the question of bribery
of railroad employees, the commission
said:
CAS- result of the inadequacy of
the car supply and Of railroad trans
portation facilities generally during
the past year. practice has grown
up among shippers of bribing operat
ing employees Of railroad companies in
order TO obtain transportation serv-
ices. The demoralizing effects Of this
practice are far.reaehing Bribery of
this character in many instances can
not be directly and effectively reached
under existing laws"
On the subject of equipment supply,
the commission declared that while the
shortage could be ninimized by car
conservation and increased efficiency,
the only permanent solution was SUBJ
stantial additions to equipment. The
latest general statistics Of the com
mission showed that the railroads un-
der its jurisdiction owned approxi-
mately 1858 $40 freight cars while
an additional 10000 cars were owned
privately. The freight cars were di-
vided as follows: 1902 $50 box cars,
l.00s SIS open top cars, 100 $50 fiat
cars. $1,000 stock cars, $1,000 refrigsr-
ator cars and 5000 cars of miscella-
neous types.
Despite the shortage Of equipment
enumerated by the commission. IL
showed that the volume Of freight
carried during the first seven months
Of 1920 exceeded by III per cent the
freight traffic for the corresponding
period in 1919 Freight traffic ss
whole for the last seven months also
was said by the commission 20 be
in excess of that Of the entire year Of
1919.
While the traffic has increased. the
commissions figures show. the net OPP
Grating income has suffered = contin- |
nous decline sinee 1917. The oommis-
sion attributed this 10 heavier main ]
tenance costs in which war taxation I
figured Incomplete statistics. howev-
81. made Il impossible for the com-
mi-sion 90 offer accurste comparison /
between the years 1917 and 1920. and /
II made M attempt ~ estimate the
figures for any portion ~ the year
The commissions acrident tshie dis
r1oses that 6.Eqs prrsnns wFre killra ~ /
trains o. in train -sersics sesiients 6ur-
fnr the wear ~ 1914 ~ these. iTss
~ mere than = psr csut mt death