The whole purpose of the government in its management of the railroads was to win the war, the convenience of the public being a minor consideration.  The people cheerfully put up with inconveniences of travel and with rates that they had not experienced while the roads were under private management.  On the other hand, there were certain decided advantages in the management of all railroads as one great system.  It meant the consolidation of competing lines that the law itself prevented the railway companies from effecting, it meant shortening routes in many cases, the use of common freight terminals by different lines, the increase of track facilities and storage areas at seaport terminals, the selling of passenger tickets good over any one of several roads running between two points.

There are those who believe that the railroads should be managed, or even owned, by the government in time of peace as well as during war.  There are others who believe as strongly in private ownership and direction.  Many of the latter believe, however, that a more perfect control should be exercised over the privately owned roads by the government under laws that protect the interests of the public and that at the same time permit, or even require, greater cooperation among the roads than has heretofore existed.  Since the war, bills have been introduced in Congress looking to these ends, and doubtless the experience of the war will result in an appreciable improvement in our country’s railway transportation system.

WATER TRANSPORTATION

In the early days of our nation, rivers were used for transportation to a large extent, and canals were proposed in great numbers, some of them being built and carrying a large amount of traffic.  The coming of the railroads caused water transportation to decline, to the nation’s great loss.  The war stimulated the use of our waterways to a considerable extent, and any scheme for transportation control in the future should provide for their fullest development as a means of marketing the products of our farms, forests, mines, and factories.

There was also a time, in the early part of our history, when our seaports swarmed with American ships that sailed every sea.  Our shipping afterward declined because other nations built and manned ships more cheaply than we could do.  We allowed these other nations to carry our commerce.  We deplored the fact that our merchant marine had disappeared and discussed ways and means to restore it.  But all to no purpose, until the great war came; then we had to have ships.

EFFECT OF WAR UPON OUR MERCHANT MARINE