Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-05-22
SEABOARD PRESIDENT
SAYS TRANSPORTATION
ACT NOT EFFECTIVE
Retention of Statute Without
Amendment Would Be Seri-
Gus Menace
WAKEFIELD MAKES REPORT
Policy of Watchful Waiting Must
Be Eventually Abandoned by
Railroads, He Says

NEW YORK. May 22-Character-
ling the position of the railroads. as
extremely critical until Congress de-
termines the future of the Trans
portation Act, S. Davies Warfield'
president Of the Seaboard Air Line,
in his annual report to stockholders
TODAY declared as untenable the posi-
ton recently taken by many railroad
executives in urging stockholders to
request Congress to preserve the
TRANSFORMATION Act without amend
ment. while at the same time they
IGNORE the provisions for eftecting
greater economies to the public
through joint use of equipment and
other facilities, required under the
Act.
The policy of watchful waiting on
the part Of railroad executives in the
present legislative crisis, Mr.. War
field believes, carries with it grave
personal responsibility, is a serious
menace to private operation and must
eventually be abandoned Just as OBJ
position by the executives to tho
fundamental provisions of the Trans
portation Act has now been reversed.
Mr.. Warfield points out that the
rate-making revenue and other pro-
visions of this act particularly meant
for retention were granted in recOg-
ntion by Congress of the relation
that one railroad bears to another,
each a part Of a national system of
transportation composed of a large
number of individual railroads. and
were coupled in the act with a def
mite inter-carrier responsibilities.
Congress, says Mr.. Warfield,
specifically provided in the act that
these inter-carrier relations must be
also recognized by the railroads by
bringing about the Joint use of such
equipment and facilities, without re-
spect to owenrship, as would produce
better service at reduced cost The
Interstate Commerce Commission
was accordingly authorized by the
act to provide for joint facility uses
and was empowered to name the
terms and conditions under which
JOINT facility uses were to be brought
about in default of agreement among
the railroads"
''Will not Congress, therefore, eX-
pect cooperation from the railroads
in carrying out the constructive pro-
gram required by the act, of which
the ratemaking-revenue and the other
provisions referred to are only a
part? Can the railroads expect to
continue in the enjoyment of the
particular provisions of the act men,
toned unless Congress can be assur-
ed of the purpose and the means of
fered to carry out the intent of the
other provisions? Can stockholders
ask Congress to preserve the legisla-
tive railroad status quo that is now
being urged unless such assurances
are given?
. Many instances are before the
country-only recently serious liti-
cation was begun between a number
of the mort important carrier-that
give evidence Of the lack of those
INTERPRETATIONS among the railroads
that Congress expected the Trans
portatiOn Act to establish, essential
to their own success and to the eco
nomcal and adequate transportation. "
Mr. Warfield raises the inquiry
whether the railroads are organized
among themselves so as to bring
about the joint facilit& uses Con
gress has required in the same act
containing the provisions the car
riers now ask to be let alone"
He states: Being intimately asso-
ciated with representations made, be-
fore Congress when this legislation
was advocated, your president feels
that the railroads cannot successfully
ask for the preservation of one part
of the act while avoiding the respon-
sibilities entailed under the provis-
ions of another part
Mr.. Warfield states that railroad
executives now urging endorsement
of the Transportation Act having OPP
posed the acknowledgement and
other provisions when initiated and
laid before Congress by the National
Association of Owners of Railroad
Securities evidence a broad concep-
tion of duty. He intimates it is IN
fortunate that the provisions for Joint
equipment and facility uses are now
opposed. These provisions, it will be
recalled, were endorsed by President
Harding in his message to Congress
last December.