Milford chronicle., 1958-10-24
A STRONG, LESS COSTLY GOVERNMENT

A STRONG, LESS COSTLY GOVERNMENT
The Federal government faces a pros
pective deficit during this fiscal year of more
than $12 billion. We may not yet kEow the
worst 1t is certainly well within the realm
of possibility that the military budget may
have to be increased by many billions.
The specter of disatrous imitation thus
grows larger and larger.
In the name of our survival as free ma
tion, the overwhelming need the next Con-
gress will face is to reduce government spend
ing. And that means, among other things,
that the government should abandon all pro-
grams and activities which can be carried
on by taxpaying private enterprise.
The governments socalized power oper-
ations are perfect examples in point 1t is
high time we revived plan that was pro-
posed several years ago and that was given
widespread support throughout the country.
This program has two facets. First, the
government should Immediately put its
power projects on a self-supporting, tax
paying basis. This simply means that rates
should be adjusted until they honestly cover
all the costs-plus interest on the taxpayers
investment that the projects pay the
same taxes as would private enterprise do
ing a comparable business.
Second, over period of time, the govern
ment should sell the projects to private en-
terprise at the best possible price. The result
ing billions could be used to reduce the
national debt or for other essential purposes
And, in private hands, they would pay big
sums to government in taxes year after year.
Here is one of many ways to get both a
stronger government and less costly gov
ernment, and stop our drift toward state
socialism.
&S@%%
THE END OF TRAINS?
A number of Americans were shocked re-
Gently when highly placed official predicted
that the nations railroads would stop haul
ing passengers by 1865, except certain ex-
ceptional routes.
Adding to this opinion are the conclu-
sions of an official government study of rail-
road operations, which was made public re-
Gently by the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion. This report concludes that nothing can
be done to keep intra-city passenger trains
from disappearing from the American scene.
The conclusions in the government study
indicate that passenger trains may have dis
appeared from the scene by 1870. Since 1947
which was a year of postwar travel and still
scarce automobiles, the railroads have been
on the decline. In the last session of Con-
gress aid was extended to them, but the Off
cial opinion is that government aid cannot
save the railroads.
Among the statistics which lead to this
conclusion is the loss of $725, 100000 on pass
ger operations in 1867. Freight hauling was
a profitable operation, but much of the profit
from these operations was used to counter
the deficit realized in passenger operation.
So it seems that the passenger train
with all its traditional color, history and ro-
nance in the United States-will soon be a
thing of the past. In Europe, it will prob
ably survive much longer. for distances there
are shorter, trains better designed and equip
ped, and air transport possibilities more limit
ed.
Who can ever replace the thrill in the child
on seeing a fast passenger train, or long
freight, speeding by with all the noise and
drama of which the Iron Horse is capable? 1t
seems a pity that coming generations will
miss this old-time thrill.
F&@@S%
FUN WITHOUT MISCHIEF