Speech of Senator Harry S. Truman Before the Traffic Club at Baltimore, Maryland

SPEECH TO BE. DELIVERED BY SENATOR HARRY S. TRUMAN BEFORE THE TRAFFIC CLUB OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, AT ITS ANNUAL DINNER ON FEBRUARY 1, 1944. Mr. Chairman; and members of the Traffic Club of Baltimore, I appreciate the 'opportunity. of speaking to you on the subject of transporta- tion. I have long been interested in this subject. As many of you know, I have been a member of the Interstate Commerce Committee of the United States Senate since 1935. In a -sense, therefore, I feel that I am one of you be- cause, like you, an important part of my interests and responsibilities as à Senator -- are concerned with transportation. Associations such as yours perform a very real and useful service, not only in establishing and maintaining contacts among users and operators of transportation systems which facilitate the handling of day-to-day opera- tions, but also in furnishing a medium for the interchange of ideas and in- formation, thus improving knowledge and leading to the rendering of better service. In my remarks to you tonight, I would like to address myself to two general sub jects. First, transportation under wartime conditions; and, second, plans for transportation in the postwar period. I shall make no attempt to cover ei ther of these subjects, but will make only a few observa- tions and comments which will serve to indicate my own personal views and philosophy. As you-know, the Special Committee Investigating the National Defense Program; of which I am the Chairman, has devoted considerable atten- tion to the study of transportation and filed a report on this subject about the middle of December. In this study, of course, the Committee was not concerned with fundamental changes in the structure of our trans- portation systems, but only in assuring that our railroads, busses, trucks, barges; pipelines and airlines would be adequate to meet the heavy demands placed upon them- by war production and other war needs. The Committee found that the essential soundness and vigor of our transportation systems and the whole-hearted cooperation of shippers, operators and employees had permitted the performance of an almost, miraculous job of handling an unforeseen transportation burden and the overconing of serious' obstacles which had not been anticipated. Still, the Committee was convinced that +prompt action should be taken by the appropriate agencies to permit replenishment of equipment and relieve the strain so that the war effort would not be >hampered 'or delayed. by a breakdown or diminution in transportation service. We believed that concentrating our attention upon military activi- ties and bending our efforts to the production of military supplies hád resulted in neglecting adequate maintenance of transport facilities and feared that such neglect might prove costly to the success of the entire war program. I am glad to be able to report to you that the situation today is much more encouraging than it was six months ago. During the progress of the Committee' investigation, many steps were taken by the Government agencies concerned which should go a long way towards solving the problem. Beyond those steps already announced, the Committee was assured that addi- tional corrective measures would be taken. The Committee's activities in the field of transportation did not cease upon the filing of the report. I, personally, the other members of the Committee and the staff, are continuing to follow the progress that is being made; The importance of continual watchfulness against any influence that might impair the usefulness of our transportation systems cannot be overemphasized. (OVER)