The Washington times., 1924-08-14

Traffic Moves Freely and Car
8, Shortage Menace Halted,
]. Officials Say
By WILLIAM HARD :

Railroad managers, looking up
hungrily to the tables Of the po-
4itically mighty for casual and
unusual crumbs of praise, received
one lately from the Secretary
of Commerce and received even q
larger one from H. G. Taylor, who
a chairman Of the Nebraska Rail
way Commission apd president of
the National Association of Rail-
way and Utility Commissioners.
This writer will quote from Mr..
Hoover and from Mr.. Taylor, who
have had more practical expert
etlce with the railroad situation
than this writer. can claim to
have had.
go Tremendous Waste.
~ Mr.. Hoover says:
g 1.-THE waste of the year 1920, with
its car shortages and with its stop.
page of industry, probably amounted
to not less than $1,000. O0O, 000."
Mr.. Hoover then speaks of the
efforts put forth by the railroad
managers since 1920 to improve
their service and says:
These efforts, together with the
great initiative and ability of the
railway executives, marked 1923 as
the first year for a long time when
We have had an extremely high level
OF business activity and at the same
time have not suffered tremendous
losses from car shortage. In fact,
our transportation movement during
1923 was the outstanding industrial
accomplishment of the year."
Mr.. Taylor is even more emphatic.
He says: t
1.-THE year 1923 stands out con.
spicuously above all other years in
railroad history. Only once before
have the railroads loade1 1000, 900
cars in a week. In the year 1928
there were nineteen weeks in which
100000 cars or more were loaded,
The traffic Of 1928 represents the
peak for American railroads. Yet
this remarkable traffic movement
was achieved without any car short.
age, without any congestion, and to
the complete satisfaction of all ship
pers. 1t was an amazing achieve.
ment."
Gave Better Service.
A considerable amount of similar
testimony could, in fact, be adduced.
In detail many weak points in pres.
ent railroading could be mentioned.
In bulk the truth remains that in
the first place our railroad nlant is
larger and better than 1t over has
been before and that in the second
place In the last year of record ii
successfully gave an ample" service
than 1t ever before had given.
II Is open to the advocates Of Fs.l.
eral control to contend that Federal
control or Government ownership
would have been. even better and
would have done even more than
the present private ownership and
control. 1t is not statiStically open
TO them to contend, however, thai
private control has made the rail
roads go backward. 1t is demon
strable and demonstrated that the
railroads In fact have gone forward
= 1T Is also open to the advocates of
Federal control to point out that
when their system. was in opera,
uon, the country was involved In
all the difficulties of the war and
OF the aftermath of the war, where
as, the private owners and man,
ayers OF the railroads have had an
opportunity to work out their sys
tenn and method amid the advan
tages Of peace. -.
1t is also open to the advocates Of
government ownership to say that
tne threat or Government owner,
snip mas inspired the private rail
exertions.
This allegation this writer lnow.
In fact to be based on truth.
The Courage Of Fear.
1t was anti-railroad agitation
which put fear and the courage 81
desperation and a suddenly aoarirs
Ditlon or efficiency into the
can Railway Association and The
Association Of Railway Execut,vas
M their historic meeting in NV
York in April Of last year. uhar
they laid out gigantic plans Tor rail,
1924. 1870 ano
In candor our present tmprova6
railroad situation has to be- an
trlbuted to two causes: First. ths
great native energy OF our raiiroaS
managers, as mentioned ..bv Mr.
hooVer; and, second, the zeal which
was added to that energy .bv ths
prospective rise Of anti-railrosd IL
Eollette radicalisn 90
It has been a race between TIA,
Iadicalism and the railroad man
ayers. 1t has been a race durinr
which the railroad managers havs
ceased almost entirely from that,
old methods Of lying back. in III
traces and Of saying that thev
could do nothing as long as raSi
calism was thu eatening them. It has
been race during which the rail All
road managers have adopted a ne;s
method composed Of two. distinci
new dramatic parts. w. -
!, The first part has been the i'm
provement already described In rail
road plant and railroad service. The
second part has been a shrewd and
rapid advance toward q poiitical
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