New-York tribune., 1921-04-25
Senate Inquiry
Into Rail Rates
Set Next Week
Executives Busy Preparing
Data to Explain High OPP.
Grating Cost and Refute
Charges of Inefficiency
All Facts To Be Sought
Public, as Well as Ship
pers and Employees, TO
Be Given Full Hearing

FROM The TribMre's Vdahin0ton Bureau
WASHINGTON, April 3D. Senator
Cunmins, chairman Of the Senate Inter
state Commerce Committee, has advised
railroad executives, as well as Others
concerned ~ the forthc oming invcstiga.
ton into the affairs Of the railroads
that the inquiry will be begun as soon
after May as possible.
III witnesses arc ready to proceed
senator Cpmmins viii lbegin the invcs.
tlgatlon early next week. The Associa-
ton OF Railway Executives is busy pre-
parlng mass of data to be presented
Thls work was allotted among various
experts Il month or more ago, as soon
as 1t was evident that the inquiry would
be made.
Present plans of the committee arc to
hear the railway executives first. As
soon as the railroad heads, therefore.
nave the data they wish to present to
the committee prepared, taking of tcs-
timony will begin. Chairman Cummins
holds 1t would be a waste Of time to
try to begin the hearings before the
railroads art ready to offer their tcsti-
mony IN explanation of their high op-
Grating expenses anu in reference to the
tlhc!eEcy III their management
Hearings To Be Wide Open
After the railroad executives have Of
tered their testimony, representatives
of railroad employees and shippers will
testify; The general public will be
heard II any person appears to present
the public view, and the state commits
hn fri,-
make any statements they desire.
Nationwide interest is being mani
tested in the inquiry. Members of the
committee are flooded with letters re-
gardlng It, With the President and
Cabinet worried over the railroad situ-
alton; with the farmers livestock men
and shippers generally wrought up over
Algh rates, and with railroad employees
charging excessive operating expenses
and inefficient management, the condi-
tIons arc such that the proceedings be-
iofc the committee are certain to be
keenly followed both in Congress and
out of it. How long the Investigation
VIII last is uncertain, but members Of
ne committee do not think it can be
wound up inside Of two months.
the fact that representatives of the
employees are making specific allega-
tlons of bad management OF the rail
roads has served to make the mvestiga-
uon more pointed than it otherwise
might be. The committee intends to
dig 1ully into charges tsat> TIE roads
are paying excessive prices to supply
companies with which they have an
lnterlocking relationship, and into
charges OF inefticiency.
Demand for Cars Increases
The car service division of the Amer
lcan Railway Association authorizes
the following:
An Improvement in the demand for
cars during the week which ended on
April is, is shown by reports just re-
ccved from the railroads of The United
States by the car service division of
the American Railway Association.
Inc number of surplus or idle freight
cars on American railroads for the
week was 9,479, or 4 decrease of
! JAZZ, compared with tina: for the pre-
Vious week when new nigh record in
the number of idle cars was SHOWN.
lhis reduction in the number OF
cars Tor which there is 10 freight was
due entirely to an increase in the de-
mand for coal cars, the number of
surplus coal cars being 252,O1O, or
decrease of 9,2S4, compared with the
previous week Reports showed. how
ever, that the number of idle box cars
remained virtually unchanged, there
bclng l76,S05 on April Is, compared
with 1926 on April 8.
compared by districts decreases in
the NUMBER of surpus cars were shown
IN Ahe Allegheny, Pocahontas, South.
ernS Central Western and Southwestern
regions, while increases we're reported
only IN the Eastern and Northwestern.