Evening star., 1947-12-28

with pride Of public ownership
Train fares will still be at their
highest in British history and the
war-weary accommodations will re-
main as frightfully overcrowded and
slow moving as ever. Passengers
who grumbled before will continue
to grunble, only now their COM
plants will be directed against a
very real government rather than
the comparatively aloof private
owners of yesterday. Brain-trusters
within the Labor Party may rub
their hands in satisfaction, perhaps,
but those best fitted to criticize the
move, the managers Of British
transport, will keep their thoughts
carefully to themselves for fear of
otherwise jeopardizing their Job
security under q socialization of
which they may or may not approve.
Little Understood
Though they will remain under
constant discussion for years to
come, the merits and dement's of
transport naturalization are far
beyond the debate stage. The Labor
government accomplished this when
it employed a drastic cloture in
Parliament, and then made the
transport act into law with speed
which lovers of British democracy
found somewhat disturbing. AS a
point of passing interest, 1t was
the opposition to this steam-roller
method which inspired the Social
lists recent attack upon the House
Of Lords, the delaying tactics of
which body constitute almost the
sole remaining check and balance
mechanism In the Socialist British
government.
Transport naturalization Is as lit
tie understood and, critics charge, as
unjustified as anything that has
thus far been attempted by the
Labor government. Here in America
there are at least two common mis-
conceptions about it-one specific
and one general-While the layman
on both sides of the Atlantic hasn't
the foggiest idea of what it's all
about other than knowing that it is
part of the socialist policy of taking
control OF the great industries.
Goes Beyond Railroads
Our outstanding misconception is
evidenced by the constant press ref
erences to the naturalization of
railroads" Were 1t just her rail
system that Britain were national
ilzing the whole emphasis of the sit
uation would be entirely altered. But
Britain is nationalizing all inland
transport, which means that buses,
trucks and even canal and inland
waterway enterprises, as well as rail-
ways. are included in the national
ization act. With some few special
exceptions-such as special purpose
tank cars and those trucks which
haul only their owners goods-all
commercial transport operating be-
yond a radius of 40 miles from its
home base will be converted to gov
ernment ownership and admin
istered by q transport commission.
In addition to our overemphasis
Of the railway side of the picture, we.
in America tend to regard this latest
naturalization as something which
mushroomed overnight in the minds
Of the Socialist planners. Yet our
knowledge OF the Britisher's nature
should tell us that even in the midst
of the upheaval of a social revolution
and the class war which mderlies
the English scene today, the British
would never 60 off half-cocked and
radically alter their transport sys-
tenn merely because the dreamers
of the left thought it might be a
good idea. Ever since they invented
the steam railway in the early 1s00s,
the British have been In something
Of quandary about the railroads
status a. . private enterprise and a.