Evening star., 1924-10-24
'ECKERDENOUNCES
PUBLIC OWNERSHIP
Insurance Executive Tells
c. of c. Faults of Gov
ernment Operation.

| Condemnlng the proposal for
public ownership and operation OF
the railroads of the United States on
every economic and practical ground,
! Frederick III. Ecker, vice president
! of the Metropolitan Life Insurance
Company OF Now York, told the final
meeting OF the Eastern section OF the
| Chamber of Commerce of the United
States today that generally inferior
| service. insufficient maintenance and
| suparfuous employees may be expect
ed IL public ownership becomes
| fact.
| Mr.. Ecker spoke for nearly an
hour. touching on all phases of Gov
efnment operation OF the railroads,
and comparing the possl bilities of
such operation here as compared with
tho expensive failures of similarly
operated roads in Europe.
| 1T is estimated that our American
utilities employ 2.700.O0 people. quite
largely in connection with the rail-
| roads," Mr.. Ecker said. within the
privately owned and operated sys-
TENS where they are now employed.
| 1t Is possible, even under present
conditions, to see TO 1T that work
performed bears reasonable rela-
ton to compensation paid. 1t is
| possible to see to It that the service
is not overmanned. No such insist
| ence on dollars worth Of work for
a dollar in the pay envelope can long
he had when the employe is a con-
stitutent of an office holding or
ofiice-seeking individual who pur-
ports to function in the management
| or supervision OF the nationally
owned railway system.
ut is simply human nature that
public employees, as a general rule, do
not render that quality of interested
ana enthusiastic service which is to
De found In private employment
There is sort of dead hand on the
public service. Seldom can a man
feel that loyal, enterprising service IN
a lowly position will be recognized
| by marked advancement. Government
service deadens initiative, and initia-
| tive is Indispensable to the successful
operation of any business enterprise,
or which no better proof exists than
the advancement in the art Of rail-
roading in this country under private
control and operation as compared
with that in other countries under
government operation"
E. G. Graham, president of the Ma
ttonal Electrical Supply Company Of
Washington, was suggested by the
meeting for place on the board Of
! directors OF the National Chamber
Mr.. Graham's name was placed in
nomination yesterday by +. F. Col
laoay, representing the Washington
Board of Trade. He received 102
votes out OF 161 cast for the vacant
directroship in the second district of
| the chamber, including New York,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware
| Maryland and the District of Column
! bia.
| Final action on the nominations
! MADE today VIII be taken at the
| annual meeting of the chamber later.
Milton f. Marcuse of Richmond. Va,
| was suggested for a dictatorship to
/ represent the natural resources pro-
! duction department..
| Department Heads Report.
| The midyear meeting the eastern
section closed with the report of the
! committee on resolutions, which con-
graduated the chamber on the acqui-
! sition of its new home and thanked
| the managers of the several depart
| ments of the chamber for their help
! full explanations OF the activities OF
/ the national body. Lewis f. Pierson,
| vice president of the chamber, pre-
| sided. Reports were made today by
| John 1hlder, manager of the civic
! development department.; Frank c.
! Page of the resolutions and referenda
! department and John NJ Redpath of
I
| Urges Clear Thinking.
! Promotion of clear thinking" to
counteract misguided economic theor-
| les is one of the greatest public serv-
| ices business interests can perform,
| Richard F. Grant. president of the
| Chamber of Commerce of the United
States, declared in an address at the
| midyear meeting Of the Eastern
/ CfGin m 10 n ikyh
at the new home of the national busi-
| ness organization, Connecticut avenue
and II street. Loose thinking, es-
! pecially on economic questions, was
| decried by Mr.. Grant as one of the
chief evils resulting from the eco
nomic disturbances of the last war
and Of all wars.
Mr.. Grants address Immediately
preceded that of President Coolidge,
which was radiocast from the audi
torium through % stations, reaching
| all sections Of the country.
Tracing the rapid development of
| American business and industry, Mr..
Grant asserted that reliance upon
| business enterprise" has been the
greatest single factor in this develop
ment. IF left free" he said, Ito pro-
duce the results which initiative,
vision, resourcefufness, courage and
perseverance bring, it will give to
further generations the opportunity
to look back upon US and the world
in which we live very much as we
look back upon the meager world of
our forefathers."
Julius H. Barnes, former president
of the Chamber, alluding to the oc-
casion as the real dedication Of it's
new home, declared the new building
is the home of organized business IAN
outpost to which business can rally
against political injustice" He added
that throughout the dislocation of
| world finance, American business
preserved its standard high, and in
| connection with the Dawes plan pro-
vided men and ideas for the financial
| rehabilitation OF the world.
! (The full text of President Coolidge g
address last night will be found on
pages II, % and 20 Of today's Star.)