Show THE indispensable SERVICE an officer of one of the nations best known manufacturing concerns recently spoke of what the railroads mean to america and of some ol 01 the unfair burdens that have been imposed upon them there is scarcely an industry in the country certainly not a heavy industry which could operate without adequate efficient and economical railway service he said this is is true even of industries directly concerned with tile the manufacture of trucks the raw materials for these vehicles could not be assembled at anything like present costs except by the use of railway service ile he then charged that tax supported highway transportation tion was responsible for major harm to the railroads the government ern ment he said provides most of the used by tile the commercial intercity inter city truckers without charging adequate fees and then permits these subsidized carriers to pick and choose their loads taking the most profitable and leaving the less remunerative to the railroads he cited the fact that 22 per cent of the railroads total freight revenues in a late year were assignable to the cost of ownership and amainte cnance of their roadways and tracks while the total tax payi ments reported by intercity inter city truckers amounted to little more than three per cent of their total freight revenues every american has a stake in the railroad industry as an indispensable national asset in peace or war arid and every jA american merican who pays a tax of any kind hind has an ail interest in the direct subsidies which the truckers receive and in the terrific damage done to our roads and streets by huge modern truck and trailer rigs there can be no excuse for blindly permitting this unjust situation to continue |