Show Turning Back the Roads MA Y will wi regret that the conferees on the thc railroad ad hills bills fit bis saw to strike out the antistrike clause in the Cummins bill bi and ond leave the thc public at tile the future mercy lucre of or a n possible of the tie up transportation f terns Lenis ms of the nation However there is need for haste if the legislation is to bo bu enacted before the first of 1 arch when the President has announced he lie will b by 1 1 proclamation turn back the roads to their corporate wi 1 Oner owners bIlier At least the lime limo is soon coming when the thel awful burden of cx to the time r government go assumed l hs as s a wartime necessity shall cease Of or course at the nc e of or such assumption the idea of or tlC fn government ovnA own own- t A Jl had much popular support but ut with wih the V cn dice e. e of r the l past two years confronting it the tIme pubLic excepting perhaps the railroad brotherhoods will wi shed no 10 tears tear over the tho return of the roads And it j may be said aid with wih certainty that the advocacy nd by the brotherhoods of or continued government operation savors sa or so fO o much luch of operation for the tile benefit of the time railroad railroad worker and so little for the benefit of the public at nt lor large c that that it has enhanced the tho opposition from most other oilier quarters If If- government operation had proven ro m successful and popular it would have lH c remained with us perhaps for a long trial trial In all al likelihood od it would have been an nn el election cion issue next fall fal A As it i is neither of tJI big parties wishes to espouse it i. i it The Time companies themselves do 10 not especially anxious to take back their properties There will wi necessarily have bave to be some nice adjustments between the government and their owners as ns to depreciation of rolling roling stock and nd wear Weil and tear 0 oC before exact justice is arrived ar or rived at At the same sae time it is well to 0 remember t that at when the roads were tal taken cn over o many 01 of them were in iii so bad had a situation both ph physically and and financially ns as to make that seem the time only way in which they luCy could meet the emergency The Cummins bill bi provides for rate regulation of dividends which is not Jut to the time owners Many lany practical business minds foretell in results of this his experiment They disappointment in soy say that while there is need for government regulation a aplan aplan plan which would allow alow the time roa roads s to make money would seem a healthier ay of going going at the business and that this ought ought to be possible pOS now inasmuch as the time public imbue has hail had a 8 taste 0 OL of decrepit railroad service and andis andis is in a mood to believe that that the time constant cry that the tIme companies are nearing starvation is probably true Perhaps Per Per- haps imps if the time public hind had believed the time cry Cly sooner it would mire have been heen willing to yield increase in rates rate Government Government Govern Govern- ment operation has Imas hn cleared up n a lot of things thing previously regarded as mysteries Perhaps in the end it will wi have proven a blessing blesing in disguise to the railroads |