Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-02
UNIFIED RAILROADS
URGED BY M'ADOO
Direction by Single Head Under
Private Control Advocated
at !. c. G. Hearing
DEFENDS OPERATION BY US.
Ey the Associated Press

Washington. Feb. 1.-The cost Of
operation OF the Nations raironds
'ould be enormously reduced and rft-
icnry greatly increased by a we'll
lire tod and unified system Of operation
1nd"r private control. William q. Me-
\doo. wartime Director General Of
Railroads. declared today in continue
lion of his testimony nt the Interstate
Commerce Committee inquiry into the
present railroad situation.
Declaring the-e is no competition at
present between tho railroads in either
freight rates or passenger fares. which
arc established by Government author
itY. Mr.. McAdoo said the only possible
competition nj present was in service.
He added that while railroads gorge
Themselves with business which they
have not the facilities 20 handle. the
public would profit were 1t possible to
have the carriers make most economical
common use of terminal facilities. and
70 hav" ''paral!"l tracks of competing
carriers considered double tracks for the
benefit Of both.
Defends Government Control
Great advantage would have been OBJ
tanned in Mr.. McAdoo's Judgment hnd
the railroads been retained under Fed
crai control for IL trial period Of five
years 10 enable the Government to OBJ.
tain accurate data as to the actual
nccds OF the railroads in tn. way OF
hcttCrmeuts. maintenance and opcrat.
ing costs, and the advantages to the.
public OF removing what Mr.. MrAd0O
denounced as tho unnecessary and cK-
pcnsivc recognition of the properties ac-
cor,l!ng 10 their individual ownership.
Defending tie wage policy Of the
railroad administration under his III
Ia, tyip 10, in,,
from Senator La Toilette. Republican.
Wisconsin. Mr.. McAdoo stated railroah
executives before the Government took
charge sought increases in the wages Of
railroad employees to moro nearly equal
izr their wages AZ compared with wages
in ,her industries. Time and half for
overtime on the PENNSYLVANIA was
granted without authority from tn"
railroad administ ration by Regional Di-
rector Smith at tho request Of President
Rca Of that railroad. he said.
"Railroad men showed their loyalty
and patriotism TO the Government by
war for less wages than they could have
received elsewhere. said Mr.. McAdoo.
lie declared false the charge that
"thc wages Of railroad labor were un-
necessarily elevated throughout the
country
Government and Private Costs
Mr.. McAdoo also asserted that dur
ing Federal control the railroads were
more safely operated and quoted from
the reports of the Interstate Commerce
Commission to show reductions In deaths
and injuries due to railroad operation In
1913 and 1919.
Turning to Il comparison of Govern
mcnt and private operGting costs Mr.
McAd0O said:
Expressed in terms of work done
or uIits of traffic handled the cost per
1000 cquated ton miles under Govern
ment control was only SS.74 as COM
pared with S11.54 under private man
ugemcnt. In other words, the cost Of
private operation since Federal con-
troll has been 81 per cent higher than
under the railroad administration