The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-10-18
Another Conference

Railroads will go to a nonpartisan
clinic composed of some of our best
business and political minds. The
bill of particulars doubtless will be
written by men skilled in railroad
economics, but for window dressing
purposes at least, the names of Cool
idge. Smith and Legge are most i'm
pressive and any verdict they may
return should receive more than
routine notice at Washington.
Railroad problems for the last de-
cade have been like the weather, of
which Mark Twain once wrote that
everyone was talking about it but no
one was doing anything about it.
It has been known for years that
the carriers are In straight packet
of federal control, aggravated by bus,
motor and pipeline competition and
suffering also from over-capitaliza-
ton and indiscreet competition in
the mad scramble for tonnage.
Not all the ills of railroads can be
laid to federal control. although
many of them can. There have been
serious Plumbers of management in
peak years. Costly extensions have
been built, paralleling existing lines
in territory where traffic could sup
port but one railroad system. Local
politics has prevented consultations
and economies Of glaring necessity.
Taxation, federal and state has
drained rail resources while COMPETE
tive non-rail carriers, uncontrolled
and practically un-supervised, have
romped away with a profitable slice
OF rail business upon a right of-way
furnished by the people and never
built or intended for the long hauls
that rumble over their surfaces.
This recital indicates a few of
things wrong with the rail patient
which the Coolidge clinic will probe
for symptoms, pains and reactions.
1t is a large order but these men.
1T is to be hoped, will return find
ings fair both to the carriers and
the public. The interests of neither
can be sighted in any effective
remedy proposed.
The whole picture of transporta-
ton Is to be considered Buses, mo-
tors and pipelines are media of
transportation here to stay, but they
cannot be permitted to strange a
very necessary carrier such as the
railroads. All tonnage cannot be
diverted to the highways, although
very profitable percentage is already
there. Railroads will, for sometime
at least, be necessary arteries of
trade and fair consideration of their
needs has been too long delayed. If
it had not been for taxes paid bv
them in North Dakota this year
hundreds of schools would not have
opened and many public officials
would have been without their paw
checks. This is an angle too lightly
dismissed by our corporation batting
politicians with boot strap hosting
proclivities.
Determinations unfair to the rail-
roads must be eliminated. Congress
IN specific act has guaranteed the
railroads an adequate return on their
investment. This the carriers have
not been able to collect AS a result,
to protcc. rail bonds and other obli-
cations held by banks. trust COM
panles. insurance corporations and
thousands Of citizens, the govern
ment has had to come TO the rescue
with loans from the federal treasury.
1t is a tribute to rail MANAGEMENT
that dividends have been maintained
IN part at least, on some lines even
during depression.
Railroad ownership is so widely
spread, that what the Coolidge COM
mission will do affects many millions.
from financier to farmer. Disruption
Of the transportation system would
add to an already calamitous eco
nomic situation.
Railroads early in their career
practiced abuses of divers kinds.
some of which are now corrected
through governmental action, but in
the train OF all this has come q fed
eral and state supervision responsive
only in part to carriers or public
welfare. 1t has been onerus, to say
the least, and not always construc-
tive.
Among the carriers, on the other
hand. there has been an expensive
campaign Of competition. Several
empire builders have shot cleaning