Fi'bniiir.v 10, 191S 



HAKDWOOO RECORD 



26c 



Enthusiasm 



Willimii Gaiisoii Rose of Clovolainl then ilclivercil iiii inUlress well 

 earning the title of "Enthusiasm." Mr. Uauson's efforts were con- 

 tagious, the audience quickly catching the spirit of his talk, and 

 when with ringintj tones he ileolared that "Enthusiasm is the key- 

 note to success and enthusiasm will jilant the American tlag in 

 Berlin," ho liroujjht tlie audience into dicers. 



"It was once said that the American spirit was lost in the rush 

 I'or the dollar: that the American spirit was dead and that Amer- 

 ican unselKshness was smothered. Those statements, false in every 

 respect, were answered by millions of our young men, by the out- 

 pouring of dollars by the people to the liberty loan of many mil- 

 lions, enrollment of patriots made up of the civilian Red Cross 

 army and finally and forever by the onrush of our sobliers through 

 the Hindeuburg line, through Prussian militarism and then to the 

 goal of ]ieace. " Mr. Rose's address will appear in full in a fntiirc 

 issue of Ilanlwood Record. 



Report of Transportation Committee 

 The report of the transportation committee was made by B. V. 



Dulweber, who stated that the committee had helil no meeting 



during the year, because the members were so widely scattered. 



However, much active work was done. 

 Additional suspensions were secured in I. & S. Dockets 74."i and 



77.5 inv(dving advances in hardwood liiinbcr from eastern .\rkansas 



has been necomplishcd. It is true that the government has had 

 control of these properties only a little more than thirty days but 

 seemingly so far, the possibilities of what .should be accomplished 

 have not been recognized by those in control, and t_here seems to 

 be an entire lack of co-operation in hamlling the matter. The 

 possible advantages to be gained from the operation of our rail- 

 roads as a unit, instead of as indiviilual [iropertics, are so great 

 and apparent that it hardly seems necessary to call them to your 

 attention. The government, by taking over the railroads, has an 

 opi>ortunity to operate these jiroperties as a unit, and give to the 

 country the result and benefits from such operations, which are 

 needed now as never before, but so far, little or no effort seems to 

 have been made toward ojjerating the.se properties as a unit. And 

 we still have the extravagant, inefficient and wasteful individual 

 operation to contend with, with the added burden of having no one 

 til hold responsible." 



The failure of the government operation of the railroads, so far 

 as it has failed, was believed by the committee to be due iirimarily 

 to the fact that the appointment of Mr. McAdoo to the position of 

 railroad director was ill-advised, because as secretary of the treas- 

 ury he had his hands full, because the selection should have gone 

 to a man of greater experience in railroading; because the appoint- 

 ment was of a |i(ilitii-;il cliaracter: because in selecting his a.s- 



i.KdN is.\.\«si-:.\. c().\i, tatovi:. o.. mi:m 



I'.KK r.O.Mtll or COVKK.NKKS 



li.M.I'll MAY. MKMl'LIIS. MI:MI'.|:U I'.dAHh 

 <»F (KIVKK.NOUS 



W. M. Kll TKK. I iil.rMI'.r 



DJUliCTUU 



and all territory east of tlie Mississippi and south of tin- Ohiu to 

 destinations iu central territory. 



During the year carriers filed tariffs increasing i;itcs on hiniber 

 fifteen per cent. These rates are under suspension. 



All industry has suffered from car shortage, anil lumber has felt 

 this particularly because a large proportion of the cars owned by 

 Miuthern roads are in possession of eastern roads. 



A reduction of 20 cents per 10(1 pounils, on a fiO,illlii pmnid mini 

 mum to the Pacific Coast was secured. The carriers are now seek- 

 ing authority to again increase this rate. • 



An effort by the Rock Island system to cancel through rates 

 from Arkansas and Louisiana to Pensacola, was defeated, and 

 lower rates to Pensacola and Mobile from points on the I. C. and 

 Y. & M. V. were secured. 



The government has taken control of the railroads, and the all 

 absorbing (piestion is whether the method of operation will bring 

 about the needed relief anil the greater efficiency contem[ilated. 

 It depends iipon how the government manages these great jirdper- 

 tics. 



"I must confess, that, so far I am sorely disappointed in what 



sistaats he has confined himself to too small a field; liei'.'iuse all 

 of the men he has selected have been previously ii[)posed 

 vigorously to government operation of railroads. iSome of his ap- 

 pointments should have gone to men thoroughly versed in trans- 

 portation problems from the standpoint of the shipjier, and not 

 entirely from the standpoint of the carrier. It is understood that 

 it is the puriiosc of the administration to have invested in Mr. 

 Mc.\iloii full authority to make rates. This wnnld be a 

 serious mistake. The authority of the Director (ieneral should be 

 limited to the actual operation, and the making of rates left to 

 a .iudicial body of trained competent men. 



It is impossible with his vast duties, for the Director (Jeneral 

 to give the question of rates such consideration as would lead to a 

 fair and intelligent decision, even if he were qualified to pass upon 

 tliese matters. It is but human that he should endeavor to make 

 a good showing with the projierties in his charge, and this might 

 influence him toward advancing rates that were really unjustified. 

 Further, he is surrounded and advised by men formerly in charge 

 of these pmiierties, who hope to again secure control of them 

 after the war is over, and it is but natural that they should plead 



