The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-07-19


 of the Chase Brass & Copper com pany, stated today that business men of the country would do we'll to climb out of their shells of self interest, discard the practice of pussyfooting and of remaining blind to the peril of Government paternalism by raising their voices in a clarion call to our New Eng land Senators to defeat Senat Bill No. 2573, introduced by Senator Wheeler, proposing that the Gov ernment take over the railroads of the United States.
 MT. Brown pointed out that, in the first place, $240,000,000 taxes, annually paid by the railroads would, if the Dill became a law, be added to the current tax bill of the people of the country. This amount would be agumented by operating deficits which would inevitably result, if previous futile attempts of the United States Government to operate the railroads and the sad experiences of foreign govern ments along similar lines mean anything.
 
 Recalling the days of the United States Railroad Administration, MT. Brown maintained, with due respect to able and conscientious men in public office, that admin istrative methods under Govern ment Ownership, are never con- ducive to effecient service and economical operation. Political in- fluence would be bound to be in- jected. Rail rates, at present based upon scientific theory and actual practice and experience, would be- come political plaything and be batted around like mush-ball in a game of -old-cat.
 Brown warned that we must heed the signs that are so plain- ly apparent wherever government ownership of railroads prevails. On the one hand, American railroads have the lowest average capitaliza- ton per mile, the highest scale of wages and the lowest average rates and a pre-eminence in ser- vice. ITO paraphrase an able sane American" MT. Brown said. let's look at the record of coun- tries who attempt to run their railroads. It is a record of de- creased efficiency, increased ex- penses, lessened initiative, political interference and economic waste. Canada, our close neighbor, is an exemplary fiasco in this respect. Her venture into government own-, ership has to date cost her people $1,393,000.000 on which they have received absolutely no return, and they are obligated to pay $1,276,- 000,000.. The Royal Commission which Investigated the mess, re- ported that, unless some solution is found, the financial stability of the very Dominion itself might be jeopardized. The nearest approach to an answer, which the people of Canada have been able to find is that one political party points to the other as the father of this dis reputable offspring" In the opinion of MT. Brown, the Canadian story is but pocket edition of the if the United States were to under take similar experiment.
 Bad as such a situation would be-" MT. Brown continued, ''gov- ernment ownership of railroads would be as tiger tasting blood, to interruptions politicians. In short time some group of dema- gogues would decide that the gov ernment might just as well manu- fracture railroad supplies-cars, locomotives and tracks, and mine coal. Contemplation of the de- velopment of this thought is alarm ing. In the years immediately preceding the depression the rail- roads paid ss,000. 900, ,00O annually in wages and mere than $2,50O.- 0O0.000 in purchases from other industries. Convert these huge sums from private to public chan nels and figure the result"
 "The railroads of the United States under private control are the best in the world, despite, speaking figurativeiy, the rails that have been loosened. the bridges that have been destroyed. the boulders that have been rolled onto the tracks and the geenrei that has been committed. They are vital Co economic pfog- | rens ln this country even aa fhey I stand. and how much better they VIII be if nll or these inlpedlnirntr |