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Show rail mm Charles A. Post Opposes Government Ownership of Systems. WASHINGTON, Aug. IS. Business sentiment In the United States Is unanimous unani-mous that government ownership of railroads rail-roads must not prevail, Charles A. Post, chairman of the railroad committee of the United States Chamber of Commerce, told the houso interstate commerce committee com-mittee today. Sentiment as shown by tests made by the chamber is strongly, even overwhelmingly, over-whelmingly, against proposals of the kind, he declared, by the experience with government operation during the war. Other reasons against it, he contended, were heavy costs and the necessity thereafter there-after of financing government extensions through congressional appropriations, with consequent subjection to political influence. "The opinion of the national chamber," Mr. Post said, "Is that unless the government gov-ernment adopted the policy of fixing low rates and fares with the intention that any resulting deiicit from operations should be placed as an increased burden of taxes upon tho general public, rates and fares would be higher under government govern-ment than under private operation." Likewise, the organizations of railroad employees might easily exercise a controlling con-trolling influence upon national politics, ho said. Constructive proposals in relation to the railroad situation, Mr. Post argued, called for return of the lines to privato ownership owner-ship and management, with consolidation of the numerous lines now existing into a limited number of strong competing systems. a number of systems should be built up. he said, by enlarging the present large systems and not by corn-bin corn-bin ing roads on a geographical basis. Federal incorporation for these roads, with a federal transportation board to control them, and stronger interstate commerce commission powers to regulate rates and service, as proposed by thena-tional thena-tional transportation conference, he said, had been indorsed by vote of the chamber's cham-ber's membership. S. W, Cowan of Fort Worth, Texas, representing the American National Livestock Live-stock association and the National Livestock Live-stock Shippers' league, told the committee commit-tee that no legislation was needed to turn the railroads back to their owners, adding add-ing that government ownership "sounds good" as a theory, but, "as a government, govern-ment, we cannot run any business." Before the government took over the railroads. Cowan said, the lines were taking tak-ing what they could get in rate charges. "But they were pikers compared with the railroad administration," he added. "Nothing has been left undone to extract more money from shippers and give less service. I don't say that that is the desire de-sire of the director general, but they cannot control their traffic men. nor have they controlled the brotherhoods." |