Great Falls tribune., 1922-04-01
THE FRENCH RAILROADS

THE Pittsburgh Gazette Times is
authority for the statement that
France after IA years trial is about
to give up government ownership
Of railroads, and sell its roads to
private capital. It says:
''After q trial period of II years
the French government has conclud-
ed to 60 out Of the railroad busi-
ness. The state system which serves
a large part of the western section
Of the country will be sold to a
private corporation. Losses have
been continuous and the system is
reputed to be the worst conducted
Of any in the country.
"The results have been duplicat-
ed everywhere government owner
ship and operation Of railroads have
been attempted, with some differ.
ence in the degree Of failure. Prot
agonists of government ownership
in this country probably will shout
that the French experiment may
not fairly be cited as proof Of in
ability Of public agencies success
fully to manage transportation,
since the war ragged for part of the
time and postwar unsettlement has
been a factor in producing unsatis-
factory results since. But from
1908 to 1914 the government achiev-
ed no success in this venture. And
during and since the war the gov
ernment had better opportunity to
demonstrate the beauties Of public
ownership than in quiet times. Yet
the enterprise has been signal
failure. The people are dissatisfied
with the service and the operations
have proven constant drain on the
public purse.
"Probably there will be no dimi-
mutton Of grumbling when the priv
ate corporation takes over the busi-
ness, for the public is notoriously
critical of common service. But the
new managers will have something
to work for that public administra-
tors had not. They will work to
save their investment and to make
it earn a profit. Success will be
theirs only if they give service
equal to the needs and receive for
it fair compensation. With reas-
enable public oversight of efficient
management there should be hap
py outcome of the change that has
been decided on. Most of the ills
Of American transportation are
traceable to the unreasonableness
Of public supervision. Apparently
the French have learned at great
cost lesson from which we may
profit if we will"
Most of the European countries
own their own railroads and the
way travelling Americans curse
them we should say that the service
they give the public is pretty bad,
and would provoke revolt In the
United States. Perhaps Germany
has been more successful than
most countries in Europe in oper-
ating its railroads, and yet the con-
venience of the public is not a
factor of the first Importance on
the German railroads, we are told.
The German government has used
state ownership Of railroads prim-
arily as means of boosting Ger
man foreign trade and as military
factor in past years. Many Of its
railroads were built with military
ends more in view than commercial
benefits. Probably in no country in
the world does the railroad give
as much service for the money re-
ceived from their customers as is
the case in the United States.
If we finally come to govern
ment ownership of railroads in the
United States, and we have always
maintained that we are moving rap
idly toward that end, it will not
be because of any conviction on the
part of the people of the United
States that they will get more ser
vice for dollar under government
ownership, but because capital will
no longer invest in new railroad en-
terprises, and government will have
to furnish capital or go without
railroad extensions and improve
ments needed to meet the growth
Of the country in business and
population.