Evening star., 1939-05-02
Wheeler Explains
Aims Of Railway
Relief Measure
Senator, in Forum Toll,
Declares Fear Is
Blocking Progress

blocking progress
Senator Burton K. Wheeler OF
Montana, chairman of the Senate
Interstate Commerce Committee,
spoke on Railroad Problems and
Their Relief" last night In the Ma
tional Radio Forum, arranged by
The Star and broadcast over q Ma
tion-wide network of the National
Broadcasting Co. The text of his
address follows:
In speaking to you tonight on The
Washington Evening Star program
may be pardoned for diverting
your attention from European affairs
and war hysteria long enough to dis
cuss one of our major economic
problems at home It is one which
has commanded the front page not
for days, not for weeks, but for
months and even years. It's i'm
portance can hardly be overesti-
mated. 1t is national problem
of the first degree.
The President of the United
States, recognizing the gravity and
the Importance of the railroad prob
lem has twice during the past year
appointed committees to study it.
Those committees reported, and the
President transmitted their conclu-
sions to the Congress. The results
and recommendations of the Presi-
dents committee have furnished the
bases for the general transportation
legislation introduced by Senator
Truman and myself in this Congress.
We have introduced four bills-one
deals with regulation of competing
forms of transportation; one with
reorganization of insolvent roads;
one with waste of railroad funds IN
ventures outside their own business;
and one with railroad holding COM
panies.
Because special groups seeking to
preserve and portect their selfish
interests are inspiring a propaganda
campaign against these bills includ-
ing the one which codifies and mod
ernizes the present Interstate Com
merce Act by placing all competitive
SAA M . oA1 q bdsolS Vi CAudllGy
regulation, would like to discuss it
for a few minutes.
When the Interstate Commerce
Commission was created in 1887 it
regulated, as its name indicates, in
terstate commerce. The railroads
were then and for years later a vir-
tual monopoly in the transportation
fold fnlou 80
transportation flourish and the rail-
roads are subjected to vigorous COM
petition from both motor vehicles
and water carriers. The Congress
has encouraged the construction of
fine highways which the trucks can
and do use. We have appropriated
millions of dollars for such purposes,
and I have always supported such
measures. Likewise Congress, and I
as member of it. has aided water
carriers with huge appropriations
from the Treasury of the United
States for the purpose of dredging
harbors, canalizing rivers and other
wise encouraging the growth of
water transportation with public
funds.
Vital Unit of System.
Though 1t has been requested and
urged by many that the railroads be
subsidized out of public treasury, the
Congress has, and wisely in my
judgment, withheld further subsidies
from the railroads. 1t is true that
the railroads are the most vital unit
Of our national transportation sys-
tenn. Notwithstanding their impor-
tance, the railroads are not entitled
to any special privileges but neither
should they be made to suffer any
determinations.
The transportation bill which Sem
ator Truman and have introduced,
and which We hope the Senate Com
mittee on Interstate Commerce will
recommend for passage this week, is
neither drastic nor radical 1t is
designed to modernize, codify and
clarity the present regulatory act by
extending regulation by the same
and single agency to all competitive
forms of transportation, but with
recognition to the inherent advan-
tdSCo Va CdSlA, dllo Will OuC SOklSlA.
Grafton to the public interest.
This will give to the carriers CO.
ordinated and equitable regulation
and it will insure the public of CO.
ordinated transportation service.
Regulation by the Interstate
Commerce Commission or by a
single agency of all competitive
forms of transportation is reason
able. President Roosevelt, in his
message to Congress on June Z,
1885, urged the passage of legisla-
tion which would have accomplished
this objective. If railroads are to
be regulated, certainly their COM
petitors should likewise be regu-
lakeland not withstanding any
propaganda you may hear or read
from selfish or uninformed persons
this bill is so drawn that each
form of transportation is to be
regulated not for the benefit of any
other form Of transportation but
for the public interest. This coun->
try is committed to regulation of
transportation. There are those
who believe that Government reg
ulation is wrong-but right or
wrong, the Nation is committed to
that policy. If, therefore, 1t is
proper in the public interest to reg
ulate buses and trucks upon the
highway as Congress has done,
and regulate the railroads, what
excuse can be offered for not regu-
lating all other forms that compete
with them?
Water carriers have appeared be-
fore the Senate committee in oppo-
sition to the enactment of the bill.
They fight it because they do not
want regulation. They say there IS
no public demand. There is a de-
mand-a demand for national
transportation policy - and even
handed justice for all-regardless
of whether they be small or great,