The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-09-09

uation a billion dollars worse. The
manufacturer speaks out of an
abundant experience. The rail-
roads, he charges, have always
considered the financial side of the
neglect of the transportational and
that in their present onslaught upon
the government they are following
the old system. Not money, but
public service, Ford contends, is the
solution but he will be unable to
convince any number of lawmakers
that this is fact. They follow the
easy course of voting large appro-
priations to the railroads and then
devote the remainder of their time
wondering why the old machine,
with so much greasing, refuses to
work.
1t becomes increasingly patent to
many observers of the railroad diff
ficulty that the only way out is for
the government to take over the
roads and establish them on a basis
of public service. The profit ele-
ment must be removed entirely, for
it is incompatible with that more,
better and cheaper" transportation
that is the essence of the grants
under which they are operating.
Congress has taken the viewpoint
that the railroads should be oper-
ated so as to yield to the stock
holders a safe and sure return on
investment. 1t has failed, how
ever, to so safeguard the public
interest as to make the earning of
this return contingent upon wise
and efficient management. There
| is, it is true, some verbal num-
merry in the transportation act about
efficiency, but it is Intellectual in
securing results, for there is no
kick behind it. Practically the only
mandatory provision in that Won
derfully conceived law is that which
compels the Interstate Commerce
Commission to so regulate rates
that dividends may be earned. All
else is pure balderdash, written
| largely by the railroad lobbyists to
obscure the real objects of the
| law.
And the Interstate Commerce
Commission has literally accepted
| its responsibility. 1t has refused
| Guce its rates, because that, it holds
would react to the disadvantage OF
the other roads. 1t is, in other
words, protecting the financial in
terest of the carriers while COM
pletely overlooking the interest of
| the public. How much longer the
| people are going to tolerate this
impossible situation depends upon
the amount of patience the people
have in reserve. They have beer
standing for great deal from this
| quarter, and they may as well pre-.
pare themselves for a few more
shocks. The administration is
definitely committed to the Wal
Street program, Congress is pre-.
| pared to go along the full distance
and the public may be damned for
all anybody in authority, save a
few loyal defenders, will do for it
The prediction has been made that
the administration will be COM
PEELED to swallow it's LESS govern
| ment in business" nonsense and get
down to cases on this important
question. The public cannot perma-
nently be let out of the equation
Winter comes apace, and with it
increased demand for transportation
and when the railroads cannot de-
liver, what is Congress then going
to do?
Perhaps it will give a few more
hundreds of millions. and perhaps
| it will do what must eventually be
done, in any event-take the rail
roads, send the incompetent mana
gers far to the rear, put some loyal
competent men on the job and, as
rapidly as possible, retrieve the
| errors and crimes of the existing
management and make the railroads
serviceable agency of the ma
tional welfare.