BRITISH EXPERT
LAUDS RAILROADS
OF UNITED STATES
Tells Congress Committee That
They Lead World.
NO GOVERNMENTOWNERSHIP
It Would Mean Political Control and
Loss of Efficiency—Declares That
Crisis Confronts Country on Account
of Transportation Situation—Lowest
Freight Rates to Be Found In United
Btates.
Washington, May 14.—That the Unit
ed States is face to face with a serious
crisis in its comme*ial affairs, due to
the conditions by which its transporta
tion system is confronted, was the opin
ion expressed by W, M. Acworth. Eng
land's leading authority on railways,
before the Newlands joint committee
on interstate commerce at a special
session held here to enable the com
mittee to hear his views before his de
parture for London this week. Two
steps are necessary, according to Mr.
A<*worth. to avert this crisis and to
solve the threatening railroad problem
confronting the country.
The first is to allow the railroads to
charge freight rates sufficient to meet
the great advance In operating ex
penses which is taking place and to
enable them to command the credit
necessary to provide the extensions
and improvements needed to meet the
growing demands of business. The sec
ond is to do away with the multiple
and conflicting systems of regulation
that now hamper railway operation
and to provide one centralized regula
tory agency with such local pubdivi
sions as may be necessary. •
Higher Rates a Public Necessity.
Mr. Acworth's views on the transpor
tation situation in the United States
were expressed in answer to questions
by members of the committee, who
asked him to apply his knowledge,
of railway conditions throughout the
world and of the experience of other
countries with government ownership
to the present problem before the Unit
ed States.
IThe fundamentaal factor in the sit
uation i» very simple," said Mr. Ac
worth. ."It lies in the fact that you
cannot get three-quarters of a cent's
worth of work done for less than three
quarters of a cent, no matter whether
the agency performing it is a govern
ment or private enterprise. Freight
rates must advance when the cost of
performing the service advances as
it is doing at present, as the price
of bread or meat or any other com
modity increases with increased cost
o? production." i
In answer to a question Mr. Ac
worth said that he thought American
freight rates had been at much too low
a level for several years past, that they
had reached this low point during the
period of cutthroat competition among
the roads and had since been held
there by regulating bodies. Unless re
lief were afforded to the carriers very
promptly, he said, the result would
be a tremendous loss to the people of
the whole country through insufficien
cy of transportation facilities.
Weakness of Government Ownership.
On the subject of government owner
ship of railways Mr. Acworth said:
"It is impossible to obtain satisfac
tory results on government railways
in a democratic state unless the man
agement is cut loose from direct polit
ical control. Neither Australia nor
auy other country with a democrat
ic constitution —perhaps an exception
ought to be made of Switzerland—has
succeeded in maintaining a permanent
severance. In France, in Belgium, in
Italy, parliamentary interference never
has been abandoned for a moment.
The faAs show that government in
terference has meant running the rail
ways not for the benefit of the people
at large, but to satisfy local and sec
tional and even personal interests.
Prussia. Mr. Acworth said, was the
best example of an efficient govern
ment railway system, and he pointed
out that military considerations were j
treated as of paramount importance in j
the Prussian railway system. While j
American freight rates had been re- !
duced nearly 40 per cent in thirty
years, rates in Prussia were nearly as
high as at the beginning of the period, j
While the charge for moving a ton of
freight one mile in the United States
was a trifle over three-quarters of a
cent, the rate in Prussia was 1.41 '
cents.
As illustrating the difference in rates
between government and private roads j
Mr. Acworth compared the railways
of New South Wales. Australia, with
those of Texas. While the amount of
traffic to each mile of line was about
the same in both cases, he pointed out.
the Texas railways performed for the
public four times as much service as !
the government owned roads of New
South Wales. The charge in Texas
for hauling a ton of freight one mile
was than "W cent, while in the Aus
tralian state it was well over 2 cents.
"American railways 4ead the world,"
said Mr. Acworth. "Nowadays when
men in any other part of the world
want to know how to run a railway
they come to the United States and
study your railways here. The Ainer
ican railways are entirely the result
of private enterprise, and I think they
go a long way toward proving the case
against government ownership."
i
The world-wade food shortage has
put YOU on the firing line
The Hunger Cry at Home
j
and Abroad Bids You
•
You know the wheat crop is more than
125,000,000 bushels short in the face of
a bigger demand .than ever. Other crops
must make up this shortage
Here is how you can help:
• -
Give first consideration to the
non-perishable crops. Increase
your acreage of beans and corn.
Sow more buckwheat. Plant
forage crops to supplement
grain feed. Increase your live
stock—especially hogs. Raise
more chickens for quick meat.
If you have more of any kind of seed
than you can use, see that some one
else gets it.
WE MUST FEED THE ALLIES
AND OURSELVES
THE WORLD IS
WAITING TO BUY
- W
Don't Be Afraid of
Low Prices
i
If you need help to do your part ask the Local
Committee of Public Safety for Aid
ISSUED BY
THE PENNSYLVANIA COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC SAFETY
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SUPPLY
SOUTH PENN SQUARE—PHILADELPHIA
%
Voter's Catechism.
D. Have you read the Consti
tution of the United States?
R. Yes.
D. What form of Govern
ment is this?
R. Republic.
D. What is the Constitution
of the United States?
R. It is the fundamental law
of this country.
D. Who makes the laws of
the United States?
R. The Congress.
D. What does Congress con
sist of?
R. Senate and House of Rep
i resentatives.
D. Who is our State Senator ?
R. Wilbur P. Graff.
D. Who is the chief executive
of the United States?
R. President.
D. For how long is the Presi
dent of the United States elect
ed?
R. Four years.
D. Who takes the place of
the President in case he dies?
R. The Vice President.
D. What is his name?
R. Thomas R. Marshall.
D. By whom is the President
of the United States elected?
R. By the electors.
D. By whom are the electors
chosen ?
R. By the people.
D. Who makes the laws for
the State of Pennsylvania.
R. The Legislature.
D. What does the Legislature
consist of?
R. Senate and Assembly.
D. Who is our Assembly
man?
R. Wilmer H. Wood.
| D.\ How many States in the
union ?
R. Forty-eight.
D. When was the Declaration
of Independence signed ?
R. July 4, 1776.
D. By whom was it written ?
R. Thomas Jefferson.
D. Which is the capital of the
United States?
*
R. Washington.
D. Which is the capital of the
state of Pennsylvania.
R. Harrisburg.
D. How many Senators has
each state in the United States?
R. Two.
- Advertise in tne "PATRIOT"
s
D. Who are our U. S. Sena
tors ?
R. Boise Penrose and George
T. Oliver.
D. By whom are they elect
ed?
R. By the people.
D. For how long?
R. Six years.
D. How many representa
tives are there ?
R. 435. According to the
population one to every 211,000,
(the ratio fixed by Congress af
ter each decennial census.)
D. For how long are they
elected ?
R. Two years.
D. Who is our Congressman ?
R. Nathan L. Strong.
D. How many electoral votes
has the state of Pennsylvania?
R. Thirty-eight.
D. Who is the chief execu
tive of the state of Pennsyl
vania ?
R. The Governor.
D. For how long is he elect
ed?
R. 4 years.
D. Who is the Governor?
R. Martin G. Brumbaugh.
D. Do you believe in organ
ized government?
R. Yes.
Are yoir opposed to or
ganized government?
R. No.
D. Are you an anarchist?
R. Ne.
D. What is an anarchist?
R. person who does not be-
I lieve in organized government.
D. Are you a bigamist or
poligamist?
R. No.
D. What is a bigamist or po
lygamist ?
R. One who believes in hav
ing more than one wife.
D. Do you belong to any se
cret society who teaches to dis
believe in organized govern
ment?
R. No.
D. Have you ever violated
any laws of the United States?
R. No.
i
D. Who makes the ordinances
for the City?
% R. The board of aldermen.
D. Do you intend to remain
permanently in the U. S.?
It. Yes. dà una luce più chiara del petrolio Mi M
ordinario perchè è fatto meglio.
HEH Niente
Wftmlm Niente stoppini carbonizzati.
RB/I Niente puzza.
H Avrete luce o calore superiore senza spen-
BV//.I deredi più per quello che paghereste per
lUill qualità inferiore. H
Chiedete il "Rayolight OH" per nome. I
II Raccomandiamo l'uso della "New Perfec- M
tion Oil Cook Steve" "Perfection Smoke-
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■I VIH "Rayo". Per perfetti risultati usate '
■ I VII Ogni dove.
Il II Ognidove nella Pennsylvania e Delaware. ■■«■ll
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