The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-17

these countries before the war, U Will perhaps be interesting to compare pres ent+day with pre-war conditions.
 The popular notion that most of the men who direct important companies in America, are young is not correct. Few enterprises of the first magnitude have presidents under 45, or even 50. NeaEiy all the very largest of our corporations are headed by men well along in years.
 do not know of one leading rail- read president who Is not over 45 and only one or two who are under DO. Most of them are 50 or more. The new railroad stars, o. P and M. J. Van Eweringen, are only 4s and A, but they are railroad, financiers rather than prac- tical railroad operators.
 Apparently there is so much to learn about raiiroading, and 1t is 80 neces- sary to move up step by step, that 1t takes a long time to reach the top.
 The president of our biggest railroad of all, Samuel Rea, of the Pennsylvania, is 69.
 p. L. Crowley recently elected presi- dent of the New York Central lines, is 60 this month, while the chairman of the road, Chauncey M. Depew, is 90.
 Among those in the seventies are Will liam H. Truesdale, president of the Delaware, Laekawanna and Western; {; Fred D. Underwood, president of the Erie (not official in this case because MT. Underwood Is, as secretive as woman about his age1; John R. Kend- ly, president of the Atlantic Coast Lines; Samuel M. Felton, president of the Chicago Great Western; ]. A. Ed son, president of the Kansas City South ern; E. R. Darlow, president of the Buffalo and Susquehanna, and Julius Kruttschnitt, of the Southern Pacific, + aa4F 4xs4f aswr last month.
 Railroad heads in the sixties include Robert S. Lovett, of the Union Pacific; l.. F. Loree, of the Delaware and Hud- son; Howard Elliott, of the Northern Pacific; Daniel Willard, of the Balti- more and Ohio; William Sproule, of the Southern Pacific; William J. Jack son, of the Chicago and Eastern; A. T. Dice, of Reading; William B. Storey, of the Atchisen, Topeka and Santa Fe; Charles M. Levy, of the Western Pa cific; Edward<J. Pearson, of the New York, New Haven and Hartford; Charles H. Markham, of the Illinois Central; William H. Finley, of the Chi- eago and Northwestern; James E. Cor man, of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific; William c. Besler, of the Gen. tral of New Jersey, and James H. Illus tis, of the Boston and Maine.
 The youngest president of a leading railroad. 50 far as I know, is Ralph sBudd, Of the Great Northern. He is only AZ, this month; and, as he has held this position for several years, he reached the top rung of the ladder at an unusually early age. Incidentally, he is great hustler. 4
 Among railway heads who are be- tween 50 and SO are Carl Gray, of the Union Pacific; ]. J. Bernet, of the Nickel Plate and now the right-hand man of the Van Sweringens; J. E. Taussig, of the Wabash; Hale Holden, of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy; Charles Donnelly, of the Northern Pa cific; H. E.. Byrams of the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul; William J. Harahan, of the Chesapeake and Ohio; w R. Cole,S of the Nashville, Chatta- ;nooga and St. Louis; Frank H. Afford, of the Pere Marquette, and E. E. Eoomls. of the Lehtsh Valley.
 One of the men here mentioned dis crssed very seriously the other day the question of whether railroading prom ssises to offer an attractive field in fu- ture for the brainiest type of young Americans. His own son was keen to follow in the fathers footsteps. but about the time the young man left col- llege the demand for government own erahip of the railroads was very strong and the father persuaded, the son to enter the legal profession. The son, however, apparently had railroad blood in him, for he is now a member of the legal force of a big railroad.
 The father is rather undecided now as to what railroading is likely to offer in the way of opportunities of the first magnitude during the coming genera tion. This man, like most leaders, is an individualist. He likes scope to do things, to exercise initiative, to tackle big problems. He feels that the hands of the railroad executives have been somewhat tied during recent years, but he is now inclined to think that wider opportunities are likely to open