The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-04-04
DENIES ROADS
BROKEN DOWN
BEFORE RULE
Daniel Willard, President of
B. & O., Refutes Testimony
of McAdoo Before Senate
Committee.
PRESIDENT APPROVES.
(By Associated Press)

WASHINGTON, April 4.-Figures
showing the railroads of the country
moved only two per cent more traffic
in 1918 than in 1917 were cited by
Daniel Willard, president of the Bal
tlmore and Ohio railroad company, be-
lore the senate interstate commerce
committee today to refute the recent
testimony of William G. McAdoo, for
mer director general of railroads, to
the effect that the roads had broken
down in the latter year before being
placed under government control Mr..
Willard appeared at resumption of
the committees investigation into the
general railroad situation
Asserting he was unable to find any
thing in the record to justify the state
ment that the railroads in this coun-
try have ever broken down either be-
fore, during or since government con-
troll" Mr.. Willard declared the "ser-
ious situation" which developed under
the war load in 1917 might rather be
attributed to a failure, if not a break
down, of our system of railroad regu-
lation as then in effect"
Expense Problem
Rapidly mounting operating ex-
penses in 1917 were proving a serious
financial problem for many of the
roads, he said, because under the law
they were unable to advance their
rates without permission from the
interstate commerce commission. The
commission, he asserted, did not seem
willing (perhaps did not feel author
lied under the law to deal with the
matter with such promptness and lib
erality as the situation, in my opinion
demanded.
Former Director General McAdoe
has pointed with pride and justifiably
so," Mr.. Willard continued, "to the
record of accomplishments of the rail
roads under his direction during 1918
but the figures show that the same
railroads that moved 100000, 100000
tons miles in 1917, moved only 440. .000,-
100000 tons miles in 1918 or about two
per cent more. submit that differ
ence in accomplishment of only two
percent between the two periods is
hardly sufficient to indicate a break
down in the one year and satisfac.
tory accomplishment in the other"
Quoting Wilson
Quoting from President Wilson's ad-
dress to congress in January. 1918, in
which he stated that the taking over
of the roads was mot because of any
dereliction or failure on their party
but because there are some things
which the government can do and
private management cannot do" Mr.
Willard declared the former president
clearly showed thereby that he did
not feel the roads had failed to dc
all that would be expected of them
under the circumstances" The fnan
cial condition of the carriers resulting
from mounting costs of operation in
the face of a fixed basis of earnings
he added, was one of the outstanding
reasons why the government took ovel
their control.
Despite the Congestion and confu
sion" which naturally followed the
| country's entrance into the war Mr.
Willard said the railroads showed ar
effective capacity for cooperation un
der their executives railroad wal
board in 1917 solving many difficult
i transportation problems he said anG
handling volume of traffic 127 billion
ton miles greater than that handled
| two years before.