Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1898-12-10
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP
OF RAILROADS.

ship OF railways, and is not vet fully
convinced that the government could
90 1t more economically than theVan-
derbllts, the Morgans, the Plants, and
Others But as their allies in the pub
lie press make out such plea ofhard-
ship for the railway companies to
make ends meet, we do not know but
that sympathizing public ought to
be willing thst the present proprietors
should be permitted to unload on the
government the properties at actual
cost to them.
Here are some facts and figures used
by E. ID. Rabbit, l.. l.. D., ofNew Ter
sey, which are suggestive They are
at least worthy of being perused:
"Slxtyeight governments own their
telegraph lines.
"Fifty-four governments own their
railroads in whole or in part, while
only nineteen, the UnitedStates among
them, do not.
I'm Australia one can ride 1000
miles (tirst-class) across the country
tor $3.50, or 6 miles for cents, and
railroad men are paid more for eight
hours labor than in the United States
tor ten hours. Does this impoverish
the country? In Victoria, where these
rates prevail, the net income for 1894
was sufficient topay the federal taxes.
In Hungary, where the roads are
state owned, one can ride six miles for
a cent, and since the government
bought the roads, wages have doubled.
"ln Belgium, fares and freight rates
have been cut down one half and wag-
es doubled. But for alfsthat the roads
pay yearly revenue to the govern
ment of $4,OOO,OOO.
"In Germany, the government-own-
ed roads will carrya person four miles
tor a cent, while the wages of the en-
ployes are 100 per cent higher than
when the corporations owned them
Has such system proved ruinous?
No. During the last ten years the net
profits have increased Al per cent. In
1894 the roads paid the German gov
ernment net profit of $50, 100000.
1T estimated that the government
ownership of railroads would save the
people of the United States annually
81, OOO, 900, 600 in money and give bet
ter wages to its employees, 100000
of whom wonld doubtless be needed
instead of 100000 as at present"
J, Mr.. Rabbit shows (1) that the
governments owning public utilities
make millions through their oper-
alton, which saves the people lust so
much in taxes; (2) that the people get
lower railroad passenger fares (and
freight rates are included), which
saves them q vast amount ofmonev (3)
hot la Il
larger wages, which adds to their pur-
chasing power and increases general
prosperity; az that the increased traf-
tic resulting from lower fares and
higher wages, makes necessary the
TRIPPING of the number of employees,
which, in our own country, would do
much toward solving the important
ut-of-work problem.
In Glasgow, Scotland, the street car
lines owned by the city, we were told,
relieved the residents entirely, of mu-
nicipal taxes.
Six miles for cent. What lot of
visiting there would be, even if the
rates were six times as much. That
would certainly be better than to pay
five cents mile that the Plant System
exacts, and is losing money at that
Uncle Sam has learned to carry a
letter 5000 miles for two cents, and
make enough off of the job to carry a
pound of newspapers anywhere in the
country for cent. Now, possibly if
he had all the railroads he could carry
the passengers for cent a mile, and
make enough in the traffic to run the
government without a tariff or inter
nal revenue tax. Everybody could
come to Florida every winter, and
everybody in Florida could go up to
Alaska and camp on one of those gla-
ciersin the summer and get well cooled
off. Now this is a contamination de
voutly to be wished, and it would be
a relief to those poor fellows thathave
to rack their brains on from ten to
fifty thousand a year salaries, to
know how they shall make the rail
ways pay with transportation three
to ten cents per mile and freights that
frequently exceed the value of the
goods carried.
What does the Ruralist family think
about it? Could they be made willing
to have Uncle Sam undertake the Job
when he gets this little matter with
Spain settled up, and the Nicaragua
canal built, and the new navy COM
pleted? The Ruralist has deeply SYM
pathized with the Plant System, but
could never see Just how to help it out;
but Uncle Sam Is deVelODiro Such WIG