Salt Lake Telegram | 1923-07-20 | Page 16 | Slow Progress

either of railroads or anything, else. The result was an order to "unscramble" the merger. , 1 It may b5 assumed, therefore, that In spite of the fact that congress gave a general order for railroad consolidations, a more clearly clear-ly defined policy will have to be enunciated before the task can be undertaken in earnest The railroad executives themselves are not to ' blame for the delay. Some general principle should be set forth that would provide guidance guid-ance In negotiations. This would seem to be necessary, inasmuch as the change from a complete ban on railway consolidations to an ordq. calling for grouping of the lines Into a few large systems is entirely too sudden and radical to eliminate the possibility of mistake and confusion., Now that political and legislative sentiment senti-ment has- crystallized along lines of railway combinations, it would seem that congress, in addition to setting forth clearly the lines along which it believes the groupings should be effected, also should set a reasonable time limit for carrying out the mandate. A stated period, certainly not , less than two years. should be riven the railroads to bring about voluntray combinations. In this way an opportunity op-portunity tr-ould be afforded for permitting the.variousrallrpadsoakefi3c5L.(JeJ possible for themselves. ' Slow ProgreM ' j N MANY respects the biggest piece of un-- un-- finished business that confronts the country fjday Is the carrying out of the mandate of eongress as expressed in the transportation act of 1920 for a grouping of the railroads Into Iprge unified systems. Jt may seem rather strange that more progress has not been tf-.ide in this respect It is necessary, how. ever, only to look baek t few years to find ' Cut congress has shown considerable' fickleness fickle-ness on this phase of the railroad question. There have been consolidations before, which in the opinion of some of the greatest minds in the transportation industry, represented a tremendous gain in economies and operating c-'ficiency. The fashion of the day at that U;ne was not in favor of large combinations.