The Washington times., 1922-08-05

-
the railroad un-
ions produce an
equally impress
sive display Of
~ reports fr m
~ their members
WILLIAM HARD. showing Iocomo-
tives In bad condition and showing
a great impending danger of num-
erous and serious accidents to the
travelling public. H 40 e..
Meanwhile the one public body
which could instantly throw a flood
of light on this disputed question
has made no public statement. 80,
The Interstate Commerce Com.
mission is in charge OF the Federal
inspection OF locomotives and re-
ceiyes continuous reports on their
condition. 1t has highly perfect
ed system of anaiyzing these reports
and of classifying and tabulating
them. The fact that 1t has made no
statement is beginning to be taken
as a confession of the worst. A sim
iliar Interpretation is being placed
upon a current interview by Senator
Cummins.
picion that publicity for locomotive
condition is encountering hidden OBJ
stacles. Senator Cummins says that
the Harrison-King resolution, which
requires the Interstate Commerce
Commission to inform the Senate
on the subject Of locomotive condi.
ton. cannot yield any immediate re-
suits. He says that II will take the
Interstate Commerce Commission
several weeks to assemble and
transmit that information to Capitol
Hill. f..
Meanwhile a very large amount Of
that information IL lying already as
sembled at the corner Of Pennsyl-
vania avenue and Eighteenth street.
less than a mile and a half from
Capitol Hill, in the central office Of
the locomotive inspection depart
ment Of the Interstate Commerce
Commission; and the rest of II Is
available by telegraph from the twen-
ty-five district offices Of that depart
ment located at twenty-five strategic
railroad points covering the whole
United States.
At each of those points there are
two Federal locomotive inspectors
reporting directly to the chief loco
motive inspector at Washington.
The reports which they send are
on a system of elaborate and ac-
curate forms which the Interstate
Commerce Commission has been de-
velopfng to their present perfection
for ten years. The inspection law
was passed in 1911. The inspection
service has been in continuous op-
Grafton ever since that time. Col
leagues of Senator Cummins are
now saying that one of two things
must be true.
1. There must be some influence
which does not wish the Interstate
Commerce Commission to publish
the showings now made in the re-
ports of it's locomotive inspectors:
or,
2. The Federal locomotive inspec-
ton service is SO undermanned
that its reports are not complete
and are therefore not useful to the
country at the very time when
they are most needed. namely, in
on emergency threatening the trav-
cling public with possible great
loss Of life.
In 1911 there We're fifty locomo-
tive inspectors. There are still only
fifty locomotive inspectors. Salaries
have had to be increased because of
the enormous increase in the cost
Of living. The total appropriation
for salaries and travelling expenses
has remained the same. Therefore
the amount of money available for
travelling expenses-after the sal
aries have been paid-has gone
down. The inspectors can travel
less than they used to. They are
tied more closely to their offices
They can make fewer personal visits
to scattered round-houses and re-
pair shops. The next move in the
United States Senate is likely to be
as follows:
An effort will be made to equip
the Interstate Commerce Commission
with a new supplementary force Of
additional emergency locomotive in
spectors.
There is no disposition in the Sen.
ate to question the desire OF the
Interstate Commerce Commission to
do everything that II ought to do
and to publish everything that II
ought to publish IN the existing
emergency. The motive behind the
agitation in the Senate is simply a
firm determination to inform the
people of the United States as 20
wether or not It is safe today to
travel on railroads.
Many Senators are not convinced
that II 10.
Testimony brought to them has
convinced them that large numbers
Of locomotive engineers are today
genuinely and sincerely afraid Of
their locomotives. These engineers
are nervous. Their nervousness
whether justified or not--is the
gravest sort Of danger to their
coolness and steadiness Mt their
work and Is therefore the Rravest
sort OF danger TO the safety NJ their
passengers. The question II:
Are these engineers misled by