The Washington herald., 1920-04-04
FRENCH LABOR
HAS RAIL PLAN
Proposes /Covernmem
Ownership But Not
Operation.
WILL PUBLISH PLANs,
Complete Details Have
Been Formed By Gallo
Workers.
WILL PUBLISH PLANS

Paris. April AT the same mo
ment that the United States turned
back the railways to their private
their private owners, the French
owners, the French general confed.
GRAFTON inaugurated a new and de-
termined campaign for the nation.
aiization of the eentir French rail.
way systems.
BY naturalization, however, ths
French Federation of Labor Is a
long way from government opera
ton.
Government ownership, the fede-
ration believes, II essential to brfna
the railways under a single con-
troll and TO eliminate private exploi-
tation.
But the federation is dead SET
against" the government havina
anything more to do with the ac-
tual operation of the properties.
The full plans for the nationaIiza-
ton of the French railways which
the federation is arranging to pub
lish shortly are inspired largely by
the attitude which the French labor
movement has already taken on the
matter of Soviet control.
Run For Common Good.
While not going to the extreme
unit or the Russian Soviets, the
French laboring men insist that the
railways like all natural resource.
and productive facilities of France
be run for the benefit of the col
lectivity" and under the immediate
control Of representatives of every
body interested.
In he
federation insists that after the
state has taken over all the exist
ing private lines that it give up en-
tlrely Its present incompetent ad-
| ministration and that the central
authority for their operation be en-
trusted to an autonomous body that
viii have nothing to do with the
: state.
This organization would have q
central national council composed
Oh representatives of every interest
ed branch of the COLLECTIVELY in
| whose sole interests the railroads
| would be run. There would be rep-
resentatives of the producers, the
| consumers, the workingmen, the
technical departments and every
class or organization either neces-
roads or in any way dependent upon
them.
This central council would in turn
leave the administration of the va
rious regions to similar local or
ganizations so the latter might have
the fullest possible liberty, author
ity and local knowledge in admins
| tering their lines.
All questions Of salary
hours and conditions would be regu-
lated between the central council
and the various labor organizations.
Sums Up Ideas.
| The federation sums up its idea
of naturalization as follows: the
| exclusion of private interests and
! capitalistic eXploitation; possession
| of the railways by the state and
! their operation by an autonomous
! organization as outlined above;
while the method of administration
demanded provides for the employ
| ment of all competent technicians
necessary; an appeal to individual
| initiative; responsibility in every
degree: the determination of labor
conditions by agreement between
| the central autonomous council and
| the labor organizations; and the es-
| tablishment of services and tariffs
in the sole interest of the needs OF
/ the COLLECTIVELY" In purchasing
the present privately owned lines
/ the federation insists that the new
organization should simply accept
! the obligations that exist at the
! present time and liquidate them as
/ fast as possible.