Evening star., 1932-12-26
Desire to Solve Rail Problem
Revealed in National Debate

factory basis. But if present inequa1.
ties continue a serious smash-up Is
inevitable" Along this same line the
Indianapolis News voices the judgment:
The public'S interest is in an ade-
quate rail transportation system kept
in good order in the practical cer-
tainty that as business increases the
efficiency and Well-being Of the roads
will be an essential factor. No other
form of transportation has threatened
the railroads in certain fields. The
people are not willing TO pay unwar-
ranted subsidies, but they expect to
bear the cost Of necessary service
MANY of the rail unions" according
to the Escaraba Daily Press. ARE now
operating on voluntary mileage e-restric.
ton plans. designed TO spread employ
ment among their members. but these
efforts have rot served to reduce un-
employment" The Salt Lake Deseret
News points out that Labor reports
that the 10 per cent cut in wages
which was accepted by the workers
last January had brought only greater
depth 10 the depression" and that
paper quotes the head of the Louisville
&, Nashville Railroad as suggesting that
railroads will enjoy greater prosperity
if they reduce passenger and freiTht
rateh, thus meeting the competition
which has arisen through bus and
truck" The News holds that nothing
is so costly to a railroad as an ex-
pensive train with only few passen--
gers" The Lincoln State Journal
argues that IF wage cut was neces-
Sary a year ago, it is needed more now"
Facts presented by the publication
Railway Age. are quoted by the New
York Sun. showing that passenger
traffic in 1882 declined to the lowest
level since 1901, freight traffic to the
| lowest level since 1909, and the num-
Der of employees to a smaller figure than
at any time since 1900 That paper
! finds a demand from that source for
repeal of the recapture provisions on
the transportation act OF 1920; changes
| in the interstate commerce act that
will make its provisions applicable I'd
intercoaStal carriers and carriers bY
inland waterway, highway and air;
| legislation requiring all other carriers
to publish rates the railroads are re-
uuired to publish theirs; equality or
Interstate Commerce Commission super
vision as between railroads and other
carriers and legislation that will require
| the Government to cease operating its
barge line in the Mississippi Valley"
"A fair deal for the railroads, in
volving the removal OF burdensome re-
structionS," is demanded by the Rock
Island Argus, with the belief that "a
drastic change in the Government
policy regarding the railroads is one
of the great needs of these times"
Similar views are voiced by the Yakima
Daily Republic and the Meridian
CMiss) Star. Observing that retire
lnent of the Government from inland
waterway transportation is proposed by |
the Calvin Coolidge Committee on
Transportation. the Portland (Oreg.)
Journal remarks: 1T comes at time
when a nationalized transportation sys-
tenn is being forged by the laws OIL
economy against the blunders and}
prejudices of transportation leaders. It
comes just following the report by Gen.
Ashburn of the Inland Waterways Cor.
poration that in this time of difficulty
the barge lines had in 1881 a net op.
Grating income of S298, ,796 after deduct.
ing from cash revenues 1858 287 for
depreciation. Meanwhile the rates on
the Mississippi barge lines and connec-
lions are SO low that 10000 tons oil
grain from Gulf ports were brought to
and sold in Portland in competition
and willamette Valley grain"