Evening star., 1933-08-06
Railroad Cooperation.

Joseph B. Eastman, Federal CO.
ordinator of transportation, has ap-
pealed to. the railroads to do their share
In the ADMINISTRATORS recovery drive.
In his message to the railroad execu-
tives Mr.. Eastman reveals the fact
that already the railways of the coun-
try have since June / put 10000 back
to work. This in itself, as he says,
is great accomplishment. 1t has been
made possible by the recovery in busi-
ness that already has come, with in
creased car loadings, increased travel
and the necessity for increased mainte-
nance work.
No industry in the country will bene-
fit more by the success Of the recovery
program than the transportation sys-
TENS. Business and more business is
the very breath of life to the rail-
roads. 1t was the terrible slump in
production and consumption Of all
kinds of commodities that brought the
railroads to the very verge Of destruc-
tion during the hard years of the de-
preston. and which placed many Of
them in the hands of receivers The
railroad co-ordinator. set up by act OF
Congress to aid the railroads, has
taken this occasion to urge them
to help themselves through q COM
mon sense program. He has called
upon them to expend every available
dollar in putting men back to work.
Mr.. Eastman has by no means thrown
overheard the need for economy in op-
Grafton of the railroads. That is some
thing fundamental. But here is the
opportunity for the railroads to spend
freely and wisely for repairs, nainte-
nance and improvements.
The American people have come to a
realization that they are pretty much all
in the same boat. They must pull to-
sether If they are to make headway.
The employer who hangs back at this
crucial stage of the recovery program
is as much an enemy OF himself as he
is Of the rest Of the people. There Is
going to be no preferred class, no class
of Americans who can swim along on
top Of the stream while others are
whirled away by rapid undercurrents
To use the vernacular. there must be
greater distribution Of the gravy or
else there will be no gravy. The rail-
roads can do their part. 1t Is true that
they have been under strict Govern
ment regulation, with their rates fixed
for them by governmental agencies,
hours of labor and the like. For that
reason it Is not now demanded that q
code for the railroads be set up. All
the laws, so far as the roads are con-
cerned, have been in the interest Of
fair competition. The law providing
for a Federal rail co-ordinator tends
also to obviate the necessity of q spe-
cial code for the roads. However. if to
keep step with the rest Of the Nation
the railroads are urged to adopt q code
Of fair competition, they may do 50
without violation Of the present agree
nents, and, indeed, without great harm
to themselves
The railroad systems Of the country
are the backbone Of the transportation
system. They have faced great inroads
upon their business from other carriers,
particularly the motor trucks, busses
and ,,v;vo te,u ou,poh s,itoveoI,ilae Thaye
has been no Federal regulation of these
interstate carriers which compete with
the railroads. 1t is high time there was
such regulation. And certainly codes
Of fair competition should be insisted
upon In connection with those carriers.