OCR Text |
Show SHORT LINES TO Tiioyntss Action Is Taken a Few Hours Before Congress Passes Legislation Forcing Forc-ing Retention. NAMES WILL BE GIVEN OUT MONDAY Some of Them May Be Taken Back Later if Director Di-rector General Decides They Are Needed. WASH MfiTOM. .lune 20. About 1700 short line railroads were turned back to private management today by the railroad administration, a few hours before congress passed legislation legisla-tion intended 6 prevent the relinquishment relinquish-ment of many of them. Between 300 and -100 of the roads relinquished had soughf to remain under government management. About 400 short lines were retained as part of tho national system. AtinounVement of tho action was withheld hv the railroad administration until less than an hour before the legislation leg-islation which would have stopped it was finally enacted. It was explained that tho course was made necessary by tho railroad act's provision requiring requir-ing tho government to decide before July 1 which short lines would bo retained re-tained and which relinquished. Legislation Nullified. Railroad administration officials also explained that since the legislation legisla-tion was not taken up by either house of congress until about 4 o'clock this afternoon, they could not know whether 1t would bo enacted. The legislation, therefore, is virtually nullified. More than 1-00 of the roads, turned back to jirivato management were industrial in-dustrial or plant facility lines or others which did not seek to remain under government control, and over which no issue existed. Many of those relinquished relin-quished may be taken back later, it was announced, and all will be given fair divisions of joint rates, insured a reasonable car supply and protected against, undue disturbance in traffic routing. Special study will be given their problems by a new short line section of the railroad administration. Short lines represent about M0, 000 miles of track in the thiited States, or about one-seventh of the total railway rail-way mileage. Scope of Resolution. The. legislation of congress was in the form of a resolution extending from July 1 to next January 1, the period pe-riod in which the railroad administration adminis-tration would have been forced to decide de-cide its course affecting short lines, with an amendment providing that lines in competition or iu physical connection connec-tion with railways operated by the government should not bo turned back to private management against their will. The original resolution was introduced intro-duced by request of Director General Mc.-Vdoo, on his representation that the railroad administration had had insuf ficient time to consider its policy toward to-ward many short lines. The amendment was added by friends of the lines which have insisted that they could not operate profitably in competition with government-operated railways, considering re-routing and other practices prac-tices initiated by the railroad administration. adminis-tration. The names of short lines relinquished will be announced Monday by the railroad rail-road administration, although telegrams tele-grams notifying the operators of these roads of the action were sent out today. |