The Columbia evening Missourian., 1921-10-08
BRITAIN TURNS
|RAILROADSBACK
Private Owners Resume Man.
agement of Systems
After Z Years.
By LIosp ALLEN.

tUHHed t>TeS StdD CoFTeSp0ndenf.D
LONDON. tBy Mail) -Btitain's rail.
roads-after seven years Of government.
al conttol-haye been returned TO pri.
vate management and the British tax.
payers is approximately three.qtiarters Of
a billion dollars poorer-l8l. .O8l, ,l49
pounds sterling, to be exact.
Today it is safe to say the British
people generally rejoice at the termina.
tion Of state interference in the railroad
business.
Moreover, the man in the street is
undoubtedly convinced that national.
ization' of the roads would prove a very
questionable and probably costly inno-
vation. and he would point to wartime
curtailed services and costly passenger
fares. to prove his contention that any
socialization or Standardization is
doomed TO utter failure.
Because the British are essentially
modest about proclaiming themselves
efficient" the world at large is vir.
tually ignorant of the speedy express
trains that in normal times run at world.
record speeds. Also its not generally
known that the British railroad com.
panies and their workers have highly
complex, self.adjusting wage scales that
automatically and with very little real
friction keep the rate Of pay at def
mite figure, as compared with the cost
Of living.
Wherefore, the transfer of these gi
gantic properties from governmental tc
private control was accomplished with
out any special discussion regarding
wages, since this problem had been ad
justed many months previously.
Also, the whole question Of govern
mental remuneration to the companie.
had been taken care Of by means Of al
arrangement whereby the government
guaranteed the railroad managements I,
keep the net receipts, while under stat,
control, equal to the 1913 earnings.
Regular payments were made from tn
state, subject to later refunds from th'
companies should super-audited stats
tics show any over-payment.
STATE TREASURY HAS SUFFERED
Here it was, that the state treasur,
suffered. By the time de-control ar
rived, August Is, 1921, the state ha'
paid out l2l, ,98l,l49 pounds, while al
additional figure Of approximately 60
100000 pounds remains to be paid.
These sums were transferred in thre
payments, the first of which was mad
March 81, 1920. Previous to this dat
receipts had balanced expenditures.
Added to the public cost Of state con
troll is still another item Of some 1000
600 pounds for the railroad companie
Of Ireland.
\ Britain has accepted these huge losse
with very. little grumblipg. because; lhe
represent small portion Of the staggel
ing cost Of the great war.
| Throughout the terrific struggle, til
British railroads never broke down, an
it is believed here the roads stood til
strain better than the railroads Of an
other belligerent.
Experts explain that Britain's practic
Of constructing the solidest kind Of roac
beds and bridges, and the consistent us
Of light. weight rolling stock accounts fo
the wartime efficiency.
| Principal causes Of huge losses j
state operation Of the roads is attribute
to general Inauguration of the eight hou
day, necessitating employment Of 1000
men, costing l5,6OO.OO0 pounds yearl,
to which must be added wartime wae
! increases TO the rgular personnel. Con
parative pre.war and wartime wage bill
are as follows:
1913 annual wages, 47,500,000 pounc
1920 annual wages, ll3,000,000 pount
1921 estimated l73,000,000 pounc
Under the present wage arrangemei
the men get an additional shilling f
every increase of five points in an inde
figure of the cost of living. as compile
, by the Ministry Of Labor.
LIVING WAGE is ADJUSTED
\ Downward trend Of the living cost e
tails wage reductions in the same pr
portion, until definitely fixed low lie
el is reached, whereafler the wages T
main stationary and cannot be reduce
further.
By act Of Parliament, the British roat