Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-02-03
NJ ADOO DEFENDS
j. s. RAIL RULE
Former Director Faces Senate
investigating Committee.
HAS NO APOLOGY TO OFFER
Declares High-cIass Railroad Men op-
Grated Lines Under His Admins
tration-Submits Letters From
Several Presidents.

Washington, Feb. Measures
taken during federal control of the
railroads "call for no apologies" VIII
liam q. McAdoo, wartime director
general of railroads, declared before
the senate interstate commerce COM
mittee, and statements of seven of
the ahlest railroad men in the United
States were presented by him to sup
port his declaration.
These measures, Mr. McAdoo quoted
the railroad executives as saying.
were caused by war conditions and
the efficient operation of the railroads
in support of the administration dur
ing that period"
Mr.. McAdoo, who appeared at the
committees inquiry into recent rail-
read conditions, also quoted the eX-
ecutives TO the effect that lit was inn
possible to avoid the increase of wages
which were granted, and those which
are pending are inherently a result of
the same causes"
The executives ascribed the neces-
sity for wage increases to war i'm
dustries surrounding the railroads on
all sides paying war prices for labor
and depicting the railroad supply of
labor, particularly the supply of
skilled labor"
Quotes Markham, Holden.
The railroad officials quoted by Mr..
McAdoo We're President Smith of the
New York Central, President Mark
ham of the Illinois Central, President
Ashton of the Chicago & Northwest
ern. President Holden of the Burling-
| ton President Bush of the Missouri
Pacific, President Maher of the Nor
folk & Western and Vice president
Winchell of the Union Pacific railway.
All of the officials, Mr. McAdoo
stated, were active as regional direc-
tors during federal control, and all
/ with the exception of Mr.. Winchel
have, since federal control. returned
to the official positions they occupied
with the railroad properties before the
war.
The breakdown of the American
railroads did not occur overnight"
Mr.. McAdoo continued at resulted
not alone from lack of unification. but
from the impaired physical condition
of the railroads extending over
period of years. and from long de-
ferred maintenance and improve
ment."
Beginning what was expected to be
a twO-day statement on the situation,
Mr. McAdoo told the committee the
government took over the railroads In
1917 because they We're breaking down
under a private management, unable
to meet the stress of war demands,
and that federal control and unified
operation saved the situation.
Not only was the transportation
machine kept running, he insisted, but
it's condition was improved. It's equip
ment extended, and it was returned
to private owners in such shape that
1t was able to handle greater volume
of traffic in 1920 than ever before
Look at Records, He Says.
There was a deficit in railroad reve-
nues during 1918, under income and
rentals to their owners Of $2l6000O00.
Mr.. McAdoO said, but that represented
"a part of the war cost, an expendl-
ture for which there is no compensa-
tion but victory"
He cited messages sent to former
President Wilson by the premers Of
England, France and Italy, in Fab
ruary, 1918. begging for 5O0,000 tons
of breadstuffs, to supply which whole
trains of empty cars had to be rushed
from the Atlantic coast to the Middle
West for weeks and rushed back with
equal expedition to the ports, loaded
RAILROAD men ran the railroads Ot
the United States when / was dlrec-
tor general, he declared, land IL they
were inefficient or disloyal to their
government, they must answer to their
consciences. But I have said that
believed them TO be both loyal and
efficient, and that the remarkable re-
suits they achieved in 1913 conclusive
ly proved they we're"