The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-02-14
As Others See 1t
MR. MoApoo,s POSITIVE pEcLARArIoN
(Ocala Banner


(Ocala Banner)
Before the senate interstate commerce com!
mittee, Mr.. VIM. G. McAdoo, openly charged that
federal control had alone saved the railroads
of the United States from ruin during the war.
The distinguished statesman concluded
lengthy defense of government administration
with this emphatic declaration:
There is no ground for the charge of railroad
executives that the government ruined the rail
roads. The undisputable fact is that the govern
ment saved them"
The former cabinet member heartily praised the
work of railroad employees during the war; say
ing they were "underpad as compared to COM
pettive industries"
Federal control he summarized, had eliminated
useless competition at great saving 70 the public,
increased facilities for the comfort Of the travel
ing public, decreased operating costs and i'm
proved efficiency Without federal control of the
railroads, McAdoo said the carriers would have
failed in the crisis of the world
The former direc .or-genera emphatically
urged the railroads to eliminate competition, as
the public pays the price" He also urged:
Use of passenger terminals and the immediate
union of freight terminals.
Since the return to private operations McAdoo
said the roads were costing the people s54,774631
more month than during federal control. OPP
Grating costs, he added, had increased $97,2S63S6
month since the return to private control.
He denied the statements of railroad executives
thai the government had put burdens upon the
roads by increasing wages.
Il adop.ed recommendations of the railroad
members on the adjustment board as to classified
ton and wages he said, in refusing the charges
He told of deciding in many instances against in
in,
getting advances.
THE charge that wages of railroad labor were
unnecessarily raised and that wages were there
by elevated throughout the country is false" said
the former director. THE exact contrary is true
The schedules of wages promulgated by the ad
ministration during 1919 were generally below
those in other basic industries and well below
rates fixed by the navy yards, national labor adj
justment board.
The former director declared he was convinced
that the return of the roads to private ownership
had cost the people much more" than if they had
been retained for five-year test under govern
ment ownership
Il am also convinced that the present level of
freight and passenger rates would have been
unnecessary because there is no question in my
mind that a well-directed and unified operation
of railroads would enormously reduce The cost of
operation and greatly increase efficiency" he de-
| clared McAdoo added that such test period
would have protected investments, averted labor
troubles and lowered cost of transportation
In concluding, McAdoo said that no grea. in
dustry had ever been more generously treated
I by the government than the railroad industry"
He declared that the government: after guaran-
teeing the roads against losses for six months af
ter the return to private control. had given them
basis Of rate making which assures them under
normal conditions an annual income of $1,1S4,-
600, 000