The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-02-03
NJ 'ADOO DISCUSSES
RAILWAY SITUATION
MAN WHO HAD CHARGE OF
ALL SYSTEMS IN 1918 DE.
CLARES ROADS WERE PRE-
PARED TO MEET HEAVIEST
TRAFFIC., DEMAND HISTORY

roads of the country were lp bet
ter physical condition at the end
of the period of federal control
than they had been when taken
over during the war, William q
McAdoo, former secretary OF the
treasury and war time director
general of the railroads, today told
the senate interstate commerce
committee in giving an accounting
of his guardianship of the proper
ties during 1918. Mr. McAdoo will
continue his statement tomorrow.
MIR McAdoo contended railroad
labor had been loyal; remaining at
its post when more lucrative en-
ployment was offered in other in
dustries, and that wage increases
made while he was director gener-
al were not excessive but subse-
auently we're further increased.
The railroads when turned back
to their owners, he declared, with
4,005 more locomotives, 26,s16
more freight cars and 1,O51 more
passenger cars than they had pos
sessed at the beginning of federal
control, "were in condition to!
meet the heaviest traffic demands
in their history"
ss'The credit of the railroads was
destroyed before the war;" Mr. Nc
Adoo. told THE committee, quoting
statements by railroad executives
on the subject. The railroad execu-
tives, he added, did not produce
under federal control the results
as to revenue and operation they
had brought about prior to that
time.
The railroads were permitted to
continue for four months after
federal control was established
with little interference in the way
of management, said Mr. McAdoo,
but the region reorganization, he
contended, was necessary in May,
1918, when he "became convinced
that the arrangements of the
roads by the railroad corporation
could not produce desired results" "
Unifcation of the railroads, the
former director continued, saved
s118,O0O,0O0 in operating ex-
penses in 1918. Throughout feder-
al control experienced railroad
executives were in charge of the
properties under his direction, he
said denying 'fhe deliberate at
tenpts made to create the impress
sion that I made immediate dras-
tic changes in the management of
the railroads and disregarding the
experience and ability of the able
railroad men of the country at
tempted to run the railroads upon
new. and untried theories of my
own"
Replying to a question by Sena-
tor Fernald (Republican) of
Maine, Mr. McAdoo declared he
did not advocate pooling of bust
ness by the railroads under private
control but favored assisting the
roads in competing for traffic.
If the railroads were in "deplor-
able condition." when returned to
the corporations March 1, 1920,
and il. their equipment was in the
worst condition ever KNOWN" Mr.
McAdoo asked how was it possible
that as stated in the testimony of
their executives they handled "the
largest volume of traffic" in their
history?
Performance of this greatest
task" he added, was possible be-
cause "during the period of feder-
al control s1,2i19,S4O,291 was ex-
pended in improvements, addi-
ditions, betterments and equip
ment which made the railroad
properties an infinitely better
transportation machine than on
January /, 1918, when the govern
ment took possession"
Considerable time was given by
Mr. McAdoo during the afternoon