Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-03-21
OWNERS WILL
SUBMIT PLAN
To CUM|N|NS
Savings of Millions
Will Be Insured, Says
Association Executive.
Government Operation
Looms Unless Econo-
my Practiced, Ayers.

washington, March ZO.-CO-
ordination of the facilities and
service of the railroads of the
country under strict govern
ment supervision is proposed
by the National Association of
Owners Of Railroad Securities
as a way out of the present
transportation crisis.
The plan will be submitted Monday
to Chairman Cunmins of the senate
interstate commerce committee, and s.
Davies Warfield, president of the asso-
ciation, announced Sunday that repre-
sentatives of his organization would
appear later before the committee to
urge its adoption.
Millions in Saving.
Mr.. Warfieid says the plan will in
sure annual savings of millions Of
dollars, increase facilities and service
and lower railway fares and rates. He
adds that American transportation has
outgrown the system under which it
now operates and warns that the rail-
measures on their part will save them
from being swallowed up in. the de-
moralization that government opera
tion and after-war adjustment has
brought upon them"
Unless intensive economical meth
ods in the railway administration are
adopted" he continues, there is no
alternative but government operation,
although the country has given over
whelming evidence of being opposed to
it."
Certain Mergers Necessary.
The proposed plan is supplemental
to provisions of the transportation act
permitting regional consolidation of
physical properties by the interstate
commerce commission. Certain consol-
idations of railways are necessary. Mr..
Warfield says, but an emergency now
exists and the public is entitled to more
immediate and substantial benefits
than tan be derived from the great
physical constitution of railway prop
critics."
The proposed coordination would be
brought about through a national rail-
way service" to be organized by an act
Of congress, and which also would be
an agency to purchase cars and other
equipment to be furnished to the rail-
ways without profit.
The interstate commerce commission
W1Ll SET Oh i've OF ltS mem
bers would constitute the service divi-
sion of the national organization. This
division would have supervision and
initiatory an4 regulatory powers to be
exercised through the board of the Ma
tional Railway service. The board
! would be composed of 40 members,
subdivided into two divisions, finance
and administrative and railway officials
of 20 members each.
Subordinate to the board would be
four group railway boards, one in each
of the four rate territories into which
the commission has divided the coun-
try-eastern, southern, western and
mountain pacific. Each board would
consist of members, five to be Sc
lectcd by the railways of each group
and two from the shippers located in
each group territory.
The twenty railway officials sery.
ing on these four boards would serve
as the railway officials division of
the national board.
Cooperating with the group boards
would be ten committees each selected
from the railways of each group These
committees would cover large range
Of investigation and report, including
the normal equipment requirements Of
each railway, additional equipment to
be leased from the National Railway
service; Standardization Of equipment;
useless expenditures incident to com
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