Evening star., 1922-04-09
federal CONTROL
OF RAILS SCORED
Willard Says Roads Can
Work Out Own Salvation
Satisfactorily.

| Declaring that Congress had not
authorized the President to assume
control of the railroads during the war
for the purpose 'of developing the
relative merits of private ownership
versus government control and opera
| tion." President Daniel Willard of the
Baltimore ond Ohio. in closing his
testimony before the Senate Inte3state
| Commerce committee yesterday as
serted that any steps taken during
| federal control (which resulted in any
manner inimicaI to the best interests
of the public or the carriers were un-
fair and unwarranted and not justified
by law"
| Il have endeavored." said Mr.. Will
lard, ito show to this committee that
| not only had the railroads not
broken down as transportation agencies
in 1915 and 1917. as stated by former
Director-General McAdoo, but that on
! the contrary they performed in 1915
the greatest transportation service
ever accomplished up to that time. The
| efficiency of the railroads in 1917 was
freely testified to by the President of
the United States. by the Secretary of
! War and by other governmental oftl-
| GERS"
Other conclusions reached by Mr..
| Willard follow:
| Congress itself acted wisely in 1916
when 1T made provision in advance for
| taking over the railroads by the Presi-
dent whenever such action in his judg-
| ment should seem necessary as a war
| measure.
The President. under the circum-
stances. acted wisely when in the
exercise of the power granted him as
a war mea sure, he took possession of
the railroads. December 2s. 1917.
AFTER the armistice there was GER
| talnly no reason why the President
| should longer retain possession of
the properties as a war measure. 1t
1t would be both unwise and destruc-
tive to terminate federal control until
Congress should provide a better
method of regulation than had been
| IN effect previous thereto. Owing to
the magnitude of the problem SO pre-
sented to Congress. it was necessary
to prolong the period of federal con-
troll until March l, 1920.
congress itself decided upon the
policy of private ownership and
operation of the railroads. with gov
ernmentaI regulation, provided by
suitable legislation for the continu-
| ance of the method so determine
upon. Nothing has developed yet to
snow mat congress erred in its de-
cision either to terminate federal con-
troll and operation. or in the scheme
of regulation which it provided
for the future operation of the roads,
while much that has happened since
the termination of federal control
tends to justify the action of Con-
sress and confirm the wisdom Of the
transportation act.
| What the railroads need more than
anything else at the present time is
an opportunity under the terms of
the act to work out their problems
without unnecessary and burdensome
interference. and I have the utmost
confidence that they will successfully
isurmount their present difficulties If
given fair chance to do so. / am
also confident that they will provide
the people of this county with ade-
quate transportation at reasonable
rates and lower rates than are found
for similar service in any other coun-
try in the world. This the railroads
did do under the faulty scheme of reg
u1ation in effect before the war, and
much more should they be able to do
SO under better and wiser scheme
of regulation now in effect