Evening star., 1932-12-08
RAILROADS PLEAD
FOR EQUAL RIGHTS
Seven-Point Program Given
Coolidge Group to Bal.
ance Burdens.
BY the Associated Press

By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, December 8.-The rail-
roads, footing for a clear track to pros
perity, delivered bulky document to
Calvin Coolidge and associates today
1t contained the story of the rail-
roads plight, plea for equality of
opportunity" and a seven-point pro-
gram intended to rescue the Nations
gigantic network of steel and rolling
stock from a situation called grave.
Alfred P. Thom, general counsel for
the Association of Railway Executives,
spoke for the railroads in presenting
the statement to the National Trans
portation Committee, headed by Cool
idgc
Recommendations Summarized.
Summarized, the recommendations
were:
l. Amend the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation sct 50 as to permit loans
to railroads upon certificate OF the
Interstate Commerce Commission that
proposed loan is, in its Judgment,
adequately secured or that the past
record Of earnings of that carrier and
its prospect for future earnings fur
nish reasonable assurance Of the ap-
plicant's ability to repay.
2. Repeal the recapture provisions
of section l5a of the interstate COM
merce act, which requires a railroad to
give the Government one-hah Of its
earnings above 6 per cent.
3. Federal and State regulation Of
commercial vehicles operating over the
public highways.
4. Federal Government should re-
tire from barge operation on the inland
waterways In competition with the rail-
roads and the railroads should be per-
mitted to operate on the water. includ-
ing service through the Panama Canal.
Would Cut Taxes.
5. Railroads should be relieved from
oppressive taxation, and Government
subsidies to various other agencies OF
transportation in competition with the
rail carriers should be discontinued.
6 Enactment of Federal legislation
as to railway consultations or unfit
cations, to encourage voluntary con-
solidation under proper supervision.
7. Relaxation of existing regulations
of the railroads In order to enable them
more nearly to meet the competition
of other agencies of transportation, and
application of similar regulations SO far
as applicable to these new forms of
transportation SO as to bring about
equality of opportunity.
Wage Adjustment Urged.
The seven points did not cover the
question of wages, now a moot one but
elsewhere in the statement, Thorn said
THE railroads wish to emphasize the
gravity of the problem confronting them
and their investors and the public, in
what they believe Is the serious
maladjustment OF railroad wages. They
| regard the present level of railroad
wages as unjustif1ed and profoundly
injurious to the pubic interest"
The Coolidge committee was formed
by savings banks and insurance COM
panies to investigate the troubles of the
railroads and survey all forms of trans
| port. 1t is expected to suggest legisla-
| ton at the conclusion of its labors.
Other members of the committee are
| Alfred E. Smith, Clark Howell, editor
| and general manager of the Atlanta
| Constitution; Alexander Legge, presi-
! dent of the International Harvester Co.
and Bernard NJ Baruch, financier.
Traffic Decline Shown.
Them said that as result primarily
! of the depression, but al-o because oi
! highway, air, water and pipe line CON-
petition, traffic and earnings of rail-
reads have declined steadily since 1929
He said freight traffic in the first eight
months of 1882 wae 40 per cent under
1929 He added that net operating
income for the first nine months cf 1885,
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