Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-21
WATERWAYS PLANS
MEET OPPOSITION
Unions Join With Western
Railroads in Opposing
Government Policy.
BY WALTER BROWN.


CHICAGO. November 1l.-Six large
unions have joined with the Association
of Western Railroads TO oppose an ex-
tension of oil pipe line and motor bus
operations and inland waterways on an
unequal basis Of competition.
Illinois miners protested the extern
sion of oil pipe lines to Chicago, con-
tending marketing Of fuel oil under
such conditions would be detrimental
to the coal industry.
Five railroad organizations-the con.
ductors, trainmen, engineers, nremen
and switchmen-meeting here recon-
mended measures TO defeat the Gov
ernment's inland waterways program
as 1t now stands.
Proposed System.
Railroads lay their own tracks"
said A. +. whitney, president Of the
Brotherhood Of Railway Trainmen.
Carriers using highways should build
their own systems or be taxed heavily
for the use Of existing ones.
"The proposed waterways system
would allow steamboats, to compete un-
fairly with railroads. If they want a
waterway, they can build IT, Railroads
are not subsidized
In O statement TO the Interstate Com
merce Commission the Western roads
pointed out that motor buses and
trucks ARE using the public highways
with little or no contribution to the
cost OF construction and maintenance.
whereas, in 1929, class carriers in
the Western district spent for MAIN
tenance Of ways and structures 1885,
403, 316" and paid taxes which were, 70
some extent, used In highway construc-
ton.
In other words, the roads argued.
I'VE have been required 10 pay In part
for the facilities used by competitive
forms Of transportation"
New construction Of pipe lines al
ready Is making important inroads
upon the revenue from coal trafflc of
Western district carriers and gives
promise in the future of seriously cur
failing the movement Of coal and other
fuels throughout the territory.
Pipe line construction for natural
gas, gasoline and fuel oil constitutes q
most serious menace to railroad reve-
nues. Its adverse effect upon highly
important revenue-producing trafHc Is
apparent, for in 1929 Western carriers
received S317,213,226 for transporting
coal, petroleum and Its products"
Effect Of Waterways Work.
During the period since the World
War, the roads pointed out further. de-
velopment OF inland waterways and
operation of Government barge lines
has resulted In q serious diversion OF
increasingly large volume Of freight
trafnc from the steam railroads to the
waterways" -. =
The railroads cited statistics 10 show
that the number of passengers carried
Dy motor buses increased from SIC, OOO.-
OO0 in 1925 to 1893, 000, 900 in 1929 and
mileage operated from 345. 500 to TO-
500. Motor trucks carried 43.4 per cent
OF hogs TO the Omaha market In 1929.
$40 per cent to Sioux City and 52.6 per
cent to st. Joseph.
Freight tonnage on the Mississippi
River by the Inland Waterways Cor
poration increased from 23,378 In 1915
70 l,590,626 in 1922, Pipe lines now
extend from Oklahoma, Texas, Ar
kansas and Kansas to st. Louis. Kangae
City, st. Joseph, Omaha, Denver and
fornia.
There are under construction. how
ever, pipe lines from natural gas and
petroleum fields TO Des Moines Mime
apoiiS, Chicago, San Francisco. salt
Lake City and into the Dakotas. Wyo
ming and Montana