Milford chronicle., 1946-05-17

while shippers can be amply protected by )
awards of reparatiOn. the railroads ask that .
the new rates be permitted to become etfec
tive at the earliest possible date, subject to
subsequent action by the Interstate Com t
merce Commission.
The question of adequacy Of rates Is not
a problem which is the concern of the rail
roads alone. The railroads involve the sta
bllltY of the Irrational economy. Millions OF
persons depend upon them for Jobs. Healthy
railroads mean high level of tax revenue
to national and local units of government.
Efficient railroads mean keeping open the
channels Of commerce. The people can for
get these facts only at their own peril as
the past War has 50 clearly demonstrated
AS THE TASKS of the Federal Govern
ment became increasingly complex, Congress
created bureaus and commissions and dele
gated to them broad regulatory powers over
the affairs of the people. From time to time
warnings are sounded against the dangers
of these administrative agencies and what i
called administrative government.
EHhu Root fOreSaW the danger many
years ago when he SAID The powers that
are committed to these regulating agencies.
and which they must have to do their work,
carry with them great and dangerous 0ppOr-
tunltIoS tor oppression and wrong. # we are
to continue government of limited powers
these agencies Of regulations must them
selves be regulated. The limits of their pow
cr over the citizen must be fixed and deter
mined The rights of the citizen against
them must be plain"
Consider Il specific example. the Federal
Trade Commission. 1t can issue an order
that Will put 4 concern out Of existence anC
} that concern has little recourse in the courts
against the Commission decision. Repeatedly
the words, :. in view of the Commission
findings. the court IS pOWelleSS, are fOunc
in court records. The ETC functions as com
plalnant. prosecutor. Judge and lul\. Here
IS an illustration of what IS meant by tn,
danger of administrative government.
Representative Is. Carroll Reece of Ten
neSSee has offered bill in Congress to re
2 store some Semblance of balance between tn
| power of the ETC and that of the courts. A
5 present, contrary to customary legal prOcC
L dure, the ETC does not have to base It's find
: lngS on 'prOpOnderance' of evidence |
it finds any evidence at all of wrongdoing
may act upon it and the courts are bound t
support the Commissions action.
n The purpose of the Rcece bill is to requl
# the Commission to base its rulings on a pre-
J. pOnderance" of evidence This would nc
IS weaken the Commission in the pursuit of it
o duties but would protect the public agains
p. unWarranted abuses of administrative GOV
t ernment.
/" AMERICAN MOTORISTS may agai
II drive on wartime gasoline if an order of tn
y Civilian Production Administration is pu
u into effect The American Petroleum Inst
>; tute states that on April |, 1916, the CP
|" ordered drastic reduction in the allocate
y of metallic lead for the production of tetra
IL thvl lead an antiknOck compound for gas
o6 tO bp
III in any month of only 27', of the tetraeth
y lead they had used during three-month
IL base period from November, 1915. throug
january, 1916 Thus the CPA selected a ba
~ period in which the need for gasoline was
IL its lowest mark.
III There is a world shortage of metal
h lead 1t is due chiefly to lack of lead pr
~ duction in war areas. The shortage IN Il
eo United States has been aggravated by inte
re national agreements restricting import
ShutdOwns of mines and smeterS due to
eo Dor disputes low price ceilings, and slow l
c lc covery of scrap lead.
10 The petroleum industry Is SNmpathet
with the stated purpose OF the GA to CO
'p- serve metallic lead during the current ShOl
"- ACE. However, the CPA Committee in char
of allocating metallic lead to Its various use
I@3 Il:m apparently has selected the petroleum md'
-, ~ try as the one to receive the lowest pefcel
"e age of its actual needs
Unless this limiting order Is corrected t
rosult inevitably must be a return TO 10
uuaIitv wartime gasoline, and a burden up
~ motor transportation generally
in
'rt lrl. TT SHOULD BE perfectly clear. to a
ne,son who thinks. that we are living throu
fa,. critical times. Stocks are changing in Walt
nIt lIt very rapidly and the public is being war;
ion ion not to buy lot of securities on a 'chanc
up, But they are doing it to some extent 35 n e r4
the, the now despite the warnings from Wall Str
ion and other security exchanges against re-
ra- less and ignorant gambling lhat ohly p
leir Of the domestic situation ah4 4 II y leia
his here to serve as "arilllls, ;o, Si+,,a+;
for- t That is more more dangerous and critical than
home affairs.