Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-02-02
HURLS DEFY
AT CHARGE OF
RAIL HEADS
CONTINUED From Page one.)

Continued From Page 0ne.)
system lines East paid out 81, 900 In
| overpayments, he added.
at appeared that their action In over.
paying their piece workers to the extent
Of millions of dollars was deliberate
he said.
He added that the Philadelphia &
Reading had overpaid its workers to the
extent of $4,000 during the first two
weeks Of August, 1918 This overpay.
ment, he stated, appeared to have been
done with view Of bolstering up the
demand Of executives for the abolition
of piece work"
Other Investigations showed. McAdoc
said, that the Boston & Albany, Balti-
more & Ohio, the Big Four and the
New York Central had been guilty Of
similar practices.
Federal control, McAdoo showed By
| statistics, had given the railroads greater
safety of operation.
Excerpts from Mr.. McAdoo's statement
follow:
THE Senate resolution under which
this committee is proceeding directs al
| inquiry, among other things into tn.
efficiency or ineficiency of railroad man.
agement during Federal control 1t Is
with respect to this feature Of the in.
| curry that l am glad TO appear at the
request of the committee. l shall ad
! dress myself largely to this phase of tht
| inquiry, although l shall, Of necessity
| discuss more particularly the operation
| OF the railroads in the war year of 1918
| when l was director general. Unde
| the Presidents proclamation l as
: 1, 1918. I resigned Jan. II, 1919, ant
/ was succeeded by Walker D. Hines,
TESTIMONY OF RAILROAD
| MEN CONCLUSIVE ANSWER.
| Charges of inefficiency in the man
| agement Of the railroads during Fedora
! control have, from time to time, beer
made and published with a recklessnesi
! for which ignorance, design or selfsl
! purpose alone can account. So far al
the year 1918 is concerned, the un
! published testimony of seven of the
| aolest railroad men in the United States
| given in a report to my successor al
| director general of railroads, Walker
ID. Hines, Jan. II, 1919, six days after my
! resignation, is conclusive answer:
The measures taken during the yea
1918 called for no apologies. They were
caused by war conditions and the eff
| cient operation of the railroads in sup
! port of the Government during the wal
| justifies every act of the Administration
/ during that period. 1t was impossible
were granted, and those which are pend
| ing are inherently a result of the same
( causes. War industries surrounding the
railroads on all sides were paying wal
prices for labor and depicting the rail
road supply of labor, particularly the
supply Of skilled labor. These condition:
| necessarily forced increases in wages Of
railroad labor and will persist not only
during the present year (1919 as q neces
sary part Of the war experience Of thu
country, but for some time in the future.
This report was signed by:
"a. II. Smith. regional director al New
York for the Eastern Region, president
of the New York Central Railroad be
fore, and since the termination Of, Fed
, eral control;
&C. H. Markham, regional director a
| New York for the Eastern region, presi
dent of the New York Central Railroad
/ before, and since the termination of, Fed
eral control:
! &C. H. Markham, regional director a
, Philadelphia for the Allegheny region
J president Of the Illinois Central Railroad
/ before, and since the termination of
Federal control;
"R II. Ashton, regional director a
Chicago for the Southwestern region
! president Of the Chicago & Northwestern
/ Railroad before Federal control and nov
president OF the American Railroad As
/ ISOLATION;
/ Hale Holden, regional director at Chi
/ cago for the Central Western region
/ president Of the Chicago, Burlington
Quincy Railroad before. and since tht
termination Of, Federal control;
"B. F. Bush, regional director at st
Louis for the Southwestern Region, presi-
! dent of the Missouri Pacific System be-
fore, and since the termination of, FEEDER
al control
N D. Maher. regional director at Nor.
folk, for the Pocs hontas Region, .presi
dent Of the Norfolk & Western Railroad
before and since the termination of. Fed
] eral control; and
/ "B. L. Winchell, regional director a
Atlanta for the Southern Region, vice
president of the Union Pacific Railroad
/ before Federal control, and since vice
! president of the Pierce Oil Company.
! Il prefer to oppose the uncOnsidereC
( opinions and reckless charges Of thOs'
who had no responsibility for the trans
/ p0rtatiou Of the country during the war
with the unqualified statement Of tn
responsible railroad heads who operated
/ the properties for the Government dur
/ ing that critical year; who knew tn
problems and solved them and VIII
speak both with knowledge and authority
! COMPARISON WITH
/ NORMAL TIMES UNFAIR.
There has been a general disposition
/ to compare railroad operations In 1871
/ when, out of imperious necessity, they
had to be devoted, first, to war purposes
and, second, to the general needs OF th'
I country, with the operation of the rail-
roads under peace conditions and In nor
nal times. A moments reflection will
convince any unbiased mind that such
comparison is wholly unfair and pre-
| JUDGED. In the statement which follows
l have, Notwithstanding, made eompari
sons of the actual performance of the
| railroads under war conditions with the
railroads under peace conditions. Ever
/ on this basis 1t is clear that railroad op
erations in the year 1913 were conducted
| with greater efficiency, skill and ability
I say this, effacing myself as Director
/ General from the picture, and givine
praise gladly to the loyal officers and EN-
ployes who performed this tremendous
task with great credit to themselves
and rendered inestimable service to theil
country.
! LIN The var 1913 after navinu q ron