Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-05

] such as in the working out of mines, the
/ failure may be due to bad management
/ Whatever be the cause of the failure o.
! these roads, they supply service for
the community built up by the roads.
| To abandon these roads because of loss
| in operation would be to abandon the
people of the community. Independent
! operation at loss cannot continue IN
| definitely. If the alternative is pre-
sented to either abandon the roads or
operate them by the Government, the
! latter will be the controlling alternative.
| These roads, under such situation. are
! sufficient in number and influence to
/ dominate sentiment for Government
| ownership. If it is once entered upon
! 10 cover these weak roads. the next step
will be the inclusion of the strong roads.
The average American citizen does not
/ realize the strength of Government
ownership sentiment in the country. II
! is heard in the halls of Congress as well
as in the forums of public opinion. 1t
looks to public utilities. such as commu-
nication agencies-telegraph telephone
| and radio The advocates of Govern
ment ownership scan power development,
especially hydro-clectric, as within their
! field, and are by no means excluding
| TRANSFORMATION as a public function by
| the Government. There can be little
doubt of what will be done in case no
way is found to preserve these roads
which cannot continue as independent
lines The only alternative in sight Tor
Government ownership is unif1cat1on,
by which a line weak as Independent
may become source OF proht as a
feeder of a general system. A great
system is due to its feeders, each OF
which may serve as a profit to the
system, while it could not exist alone.
One system made up of 100 branches.
taken together. may be profitable,
which. if operating as a hundred sep
arate systems, would be improbable.
In the other way around, we may have
P region served by 100 separate and I'M
profitable roads, which, if consolidated
into one system with unified manage
ment and equipment, might quite profit
ably insure better public service. 1t is
on that basis that the principle OF uni
fication has been and is now being
urged. 1t at once enlisted and stimu-
lated the support of all classes who look
on Government ownership as unwise,
and will provoke the opposition of
those who view the policy of Govern
ment ownership as the better plan OF
operation.
Inc SITOnB uIScLCy lol uLl1lCdLIoil w
include all lines, on the one hand, and
the hesitancy of systems to include
roads obviously weak, on the other has
created sentiment for compulsory uni
fication The pending bill is not COM
pulsory, but voluntary However it does
give authority to the Interstate Com
merce Commission to deny the uniflca-
ton unless the proposed system includes
such roads as the commission deems
necessary The bill provides four meth
| DDS of unification: Cd Where it is &C
complished by one system taking over
other systems; 90 Where corporate
merger is permitted by one or more
systems merging into the corporate con-
| troll of an existing system; 90 where
a consolidation is effected by an entire
new corporation created to absorb other
systems which lose their existence. and