The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-11

Express suspects that the facts in
the case lie somewhere between
these two extreme views" but
newspaper opinion is inclined to
line up with the extremes. Incl
dentally following political bias
rather closely.
Had Big Deficit.
According to railroad executives
and other authorities, the actual
deficit OF the railroads during the
rs months of governmental opera
ton amounted to $500, 900 900,
while according to Mr.. Hines this
figure should be STA, 100000. Here
is a discrepancy of more than a
billion dollars which some of the
papers say is so largely a matter
of opinion that it will probably be
long time before definite agree
ment is reached as to the actual
cost to the railroads of government
operation. 1t is generally charged
that the great loss sustained by the
carriers was due to expensive gov
eminent operation, land yet under
the first year of company opera
ton the roads sustained loss
equal to more than one-half the
sum claimed by the managers as
their deficit for the entire 26 months
of government operation"
But that loss, as some editors see
it. is obviously the legacy from
government operation, and is the
basis for the governments debt &c
the roads as embodied in the re-
funding bill. 1.-The fact is,'' the
Burlington (Vt) News (Rep.) as
serts, that the roads were return
ed TO their owners in a decidedly
broken down condition, after &c
months of deplorable inefficiency,
bad management, poor service and
careless handling" and the Seattle
Times (Ind. Rep.) thinks il is little
has been accomplished in such a
relatively short space of time by
private operators since the roads
were returned to them"
Excuses Are Lame.
The New York Tribune (Rep)
finds Mr.. Hines excuses labored,"
and his figures mot convincing"
because he is defending something
Journal Und) quotes Mr.. Hines
as declaring that except for some
shortage in the matter of rails, ties
and ballast, the properties were
Substantially maintained during
federal CONTROL" but in thus "ex-,
empting from the damnation OF his
faint praise every important ma
terial" that enters into the main
tenance Of way, what, the Journal
inquiries, does he mean-"what was
properly kept up?'
But on this point the Reno Ga
zette (Rep), departing from the
attitude Of most Republican papers,
expresses the belief that "any
statement by eastern roads that
they had to expend millions to put
their tracks in shape after they
were returned is probably to be
taken with large allowances" for
certainly such a contention could
not be supported in the west, be-
cause the communities served by
the roads know better. In Ne
vada. 'if no where else" the Reno
paper continues, ''old material was
brought up 10 date, engines and
coaches were reconstructed and i'm
proved, the roadbeds were ballast
ed in all directions, new rail laid,
and in short, the tracks were made
capable of carrying q heavier traf-
lie in better shape than under the
Old conditions" That such is not
The condition in New England, how
ever. is attested by the New Haven
Register Qnd), which cites time
tables to refute Mr.. Hines figures.
Inc roads, it says, are so poor that
they must deny service to those
on their thinly settled lines, be-
capse they have no margin from
which to draw"