Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-02-18
j. s. CONTROL
Of Rail. LINES
FOR At LEAST 2
YEARS IS URGED
American Federation of La
Dor Official Does Not Want
Federal Operation of Rail-
roads To Cease Now,
UNSCRAMBLING MEANS
MANY RECEIVERSHIPS
Return Of Properties Now
May Result in a National
Panic and Bring World
Wide Bankruptcy Says,
GsN MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wIREl

f''NS CoiINi " PlSJ1 w. "
GsY MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wrREl
Washington, Feb. 17.-Members
of congress were asked today to
continue federal operation of rail-
roads for at least two years to avoid
inevitable bankruptcy (which
might result in a national panic
and bring worldwide bankruptcy.
The appeal was made in letter is
sued by b. NJ. Jewell, acting presi-
dent of the railway employees de-
partment of the American Fedora
tion of Labor.
"Reeeiverships are inevitable il
the railroads are unscrambled and
each left to shift for itself" the
letter said.
The letter of objections to the re-
turn of the roads was signed by the
heads of the fourteen railroad un-
ions, including the four big broth
erhoods, who have been acting as
a unit in urging, first, governmental
ownership of the rail systems and,
second, continuation of govern
ment control as an alternative.
Calling attention to the Colossal
savings, economies and efficien-
cies' under federal operation, the
letter said a reversiOn to private
ownership would mean ''an in
crease in rates of from 25 to SO per
cent, an addition of 81 ,000,-
100000 a year"
Among the score Of specific rea-
sons cited by the employees repre-
sentatives against return of the
railroads were:
According to the reports of the
director general, the railroads ope-
rated as a unified system are on
paying basis, "or are in a fair way
to earn all charges against them,
and possibly to accumulate a sur
plus"
Valuation of water securities, al
legged to be the main object of those
seeking return, would mean the
of the railroad indus
try.
THE Cummins- Esch bill, with its
guarantee of earnings is an invita-
tioa to waste and extravaganza"
Return OF the railroads at this
time is an invitation to still further
industrial disturbances which are
borne of labor shortage ont one
hand and the high cost of living
on the other"
Under federal operation, the
southern states have had a square
deal. Ports, harbors, terminals
and shipping lines have been
from the Rio Grande to
but a return to the
treatment of New
York will kill southern ports,
southern shipping, southern indus
try"
Water transportation can never
be developed with the railroads in
private hands, the letter said.
New York, Feb. 1.-THE return
of the railroads to private owner
ship on March l will mean the
placing of private operation on its
final trial. in the opinion of
Herbert Hoover, expressed tonight
in his inaugural address as presi-
dent of the American Institute of
Mining Engineers. At the same
time, Mr.. Hoover attacked govern
ment operation of either railroads
or shipping as experiments in So
.necessitated by the war"
to which there were many funda-
objections.
"No scheme Of political appoint
ment," Mr.. Hoover said, has ever
yet been devised that will replace
compensation in it's selection of
ability, and character. Both ship
ping and railways have today the
of many skilled person
mel, sifted out in a hard school of
competition and even then the gov
ernment operation of these enter
prises is not proving satisfactory.
Therefore, the ultimate inefficiency
that would arise from the deaden-
ing paralysis of bureaucracy has
not yet had full opportunity for de-
Velopment. Already we can show
that no government under pressure
of ever present political or section
al interests can properly conduct
the risk of extension and improve
ment, or can be free from local
pressure to conduct unwarranted
services in industrial enterprises"
In respect to the actual ma
chinery of government, Mr.. Hoover
made two recommendations He
proposed the creation of a single
to deal with public
works and technical service and the
of a national budget. |
These recommendation followed !
the lines of similar ones made by
joint committees representing vari-
Gus engineering societies which |
were appointed to make a special
study of government organization.
While admitting that a budget
system would not be remedy for
all administrative ills, Mr.. Hoover
contended that 1t would provide
for the coordination of eXpendi-
ture, the prevention of waste, the
expedition of legislation and the
Exposure of the pork barrel" He
added that no budget which did
not cover all government expendi-
ture was worth enactment.
In urging an increase in national
production, the speaker asserted
that if such an increase was not OBJ
tanned there would be a repercus-
sion upon the fundamental indus
try of the United States, that is
agriculture