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Editorial
October 29, 1951
Trainman News
Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana
What is this article about?
Editorial critiques rubber companies like Goodyear for pushing public highway funding to benefit trucks, which congest roads and cause accidents, while harming railroads. Argues for shifting traffic to railroads to end congestion and slaughter on highways.
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OCR Quality
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Full Text
Highway Crisis
In newspaper advertisements, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. declares "We Must Face the Highway Crisis Now." The solution to congestion on American highways, says Goodyear, "is not the number of cars or the size of trucks--it is too few modern roads!"
Of course, Goodyear and other rubber companies now urging expenditure of billions of dollars of taxpayers' money for highways make tires for the trucks that congest them.
These rubber companies depend greatly on "socialism" for their profits: that is, the socialism of highways constructed and maintained at public expense.
Obviously we cannot get along without the railways. But just how do these propagandists for greater commercial use of public highways and for the right of property condemnation to build non-common carrier agencies, such as conveyor belts, also in the Goodyear manufacturing line, reason they can continue to 'use public funds and public laws to take more and more traffic from the railways and still have a railroad industry left?
If public money and favor are to be used to build unnecessary duplicate carriers, then the public must pay twice--- first to construct and maintain the duplicate carriers and again to absorb additional rates on the traffic left to the railroads to compensate them for the revenue loss. Otherwise, the railroads must be operated by public subsidy, like their competitors.
Public officials and others interested in safety are alarmed at the "murder on highways. 79 Statistics prove that a large number of highway accidents are directly caused by these giant highway boxcars that have become almost "Murder, Incorporated" on our supposedly free public highways. You cannot both eat and have your cake too. If railroads are to be robbed of their sustenance thru public aid and subsidy to competing carriers, they cannot be expected to stand by to serve the public when trucks, airplanes, waterways and proposed conveyor belts, are incapacitated because of inclement weather or for other reasons.
Shifting the traffic load from the highways to the railroads is the most economical and effective method of ending the congestion and slaughter on the highways that now have become serious problems in this country.
In newspaper advertisements, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. declares "We Must Face the Highway Crisis Now." The solution to congestion on American highways, says Goodyear, "is not the number of cars or the size of trucks--it is too few modern roads!"
Of course, Goodyear and other rubber companies now urging expenditure of billions of dollars of taxpayers' money for highways make tires for the trucks that congest them.
These rubber companies depend greatly on "socialism" for their profits: that is, the socialism of highways constructed and maintained at public expense.
Obviously we cannot get along without the railways. But just how do these propagandists for greater commercial use of public highways and for the right of property condemnation to build non-common carrier agencies, such as conveyor belts, also in the Goodyear manufacturing line, reason they can continue to 'use public funds and public laws to take more and more traffic from the railways and still have a railroad industry left?
If public money and favor are to be used to build unnecessary duplicate carriers, then the public must pay twice--- first to construct and maintain the duplicate carriers and again to absorb additional rates on the traffic left to the railroads to compensate them for the revenue loss. Otherwise, the railroads must be operated by public subsidy, like their competitors.
Public officials and others interested in safety are alarmed at the "murder on highways. 79 Statistics prove that a large number of highway accidents are directly caused by these giant highway boxcars that have become almost "Murder, Incorporated" on our supposedly free public highways. You cannot both eat and have your cake too. If railroads are to be robbed of their sustenance thru public aid and subsidy to competing carriers, they cannot be expected to stand by to serve the public when trucks, airplanes, waterways and proposed conveyor belts, are incapacitated because of inclement weather or for other reasons.
Shifting the traffic load from the highways to the railroads is the most economical and effective method of ending the congestion and slaughter on the highways that now have become serious problems in this country.
What sub-type of article is it?
Infrastructure
Economic Policy
What keywords are associated?
Highway Crisis
Public Funding
Railroad Competition
Truck Congestion
Highway Safety
Economic Subsidy
What entities or persons were involved?
Goodyear Tire And Rubber Co.
Rubber Companies
Railroads
Public Officials
Editorial Details
Primary Topic
Critique Of Public Highway Funding Benefiting Trucks Over Railroads
Stance / Tone
Strongly Pro Railroad And Anti Public Subsidy For Competing Carriers
Key Figures
Goodyear Tire And Rubber Co.
Rubber Companies
Railroads
Public Officials
Key Arguments
Highway Congestion Blamed On Insufficient Roads, But Benefits Tire Makers For Trucks
Rubber Companies Profit From Public Funded Highways, A Form Of Socialism
Public Funds Divert Traffic From Railroads, Threatening Their Survival
Building Duplicate Carriers Requires Double Public Payment Or Railroad Subsidies
Trucks Cause Many Highway Accidents, Turning Roads Into Danger Zones
Railroads Cannot Sustain Losses From Subsidized Competitors Without Aid
Shifting Traffic To Railroads Would Economically Resolve Highway Congestion And Safety Issues