Show MR 1 COOLIDGE THE RAILROADS Former President Coolidge has been been heen asked to head hend a nonpartisan nonpartisan par non commission to study the problems of the te railroads There is no question that the railroads of the United States are in a bad way and we cannot think of anybody better than Mr l Coolidge to head up such sucha a committee Regardless of politics politics politics pol pol- pol- pol there is probably nobody in whom so many Americans of all aU ranks have ha complete confidence confidence confidence con con- as Mr l Coolidge He is noted for his level-headed level common com common common mon sense and any uny report on the railroad situation which he might put his name to would be betaken betaken betaken taken very seriously by the railroad d people themselves as aswell aswell aswell well as by the general public In accepting such a commission commission commission commis commis- sion for public service Mr l Coolidge furnishes a good answer answer answer an an- to the old question What That shall we do with our ex- ex presidents 1 It is time to get at the roots r of ot the railroad situation It ItI I seem to us that they are either too much under government control or noi nol enough the i i present situation in which V th they y are not allowed to accumulate accumulate accumulate accum accum- a surplus in good times to sari carry y them through h hard hardt t ip is unfair not only to the railroads but to the public which depends upon them for service Moreover I the whole railroad situation is changing The traveling public is relying less and less upon the railroads for passenger transportation for short dist distances dis dis- t while the airplane is their long distance passenger business Package freight is moving more and more by trucks and every new v mile of hard pa paved ved highway S cuts into railroad earnings On the face of things it looks as asif asif asif if there would soon be little business left for the railroad railroads p CHt heavy hauling of bulk freight freight- We Ve understand that the commission which Mr l Coolidge is to head will win look into the whole transportation problem and we have hope that out put of it will come a more intelligent and workable system tern tem of transportation control |