Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-05-05
MEYER Talks RATES
University Professor Says Gov
eminent Cannot Control
Matter Satisfactorily
STUDIES EFFECT IN EUROPE
Believes That Governments Control of
Rates Without Government Owner
ship Would Make the Situation
Worse-Thinks Present System is
Pretty Fair.

Washington May 5.-Professor FL.
&. Meyer, assistant professor of eco
Monies at the University Of Chicago,
appeared before the senate committee
on interstate commerce yesterday. He
dealt chiefly with the railroad condi'
lions in Prussia and Germany in when
countries railways are owned by the
government. He said in part:
Zone of the leading objects of Prus-
sia's nationalisnl Of the railways was
the desire to abolish or minimize rail-
way determinations and there was the
ultimate object of attaining certain
social. economical results The evil
dence now before us shows that Prus-
sia has succeeded on the whole in the
first. but has failed completely in the
second"
!. Speaking particularly of rate max
ing, Professor Meyer said: ITO have
the federal government or it's agent,
the Interstate. commerce commission
exercise the power t. make railway
rates would in no way protect secret
rebates. Railroads would find it no
more difficult to depart secretly from
rates made by the government than
they have found it to depart secretly
from rates made by themselves, and
they often would be under much great
er pressure to depart from the rates
made by the government, for 1t is the
verdict of all experience that govern
ment will not and cannot make railway
rates that meet the needs OF expanding
trade and industry.
Effective effort by the government to
regulate railway rates in general, he
insisted would arrest the decline of
railroad rates by producing deadlock
OF conflicting sectional interests, would
prevent railways from developing
volume OF traffic sufficiently large to
Justify the maintenance or building OF
railways Of the highest attainable eff
ficiency. would check the development
OF the resources of the county and
would demoralize the politics of the
country. American railway rates, he
said, were the result of arbitration
and welfare and were about as right
I'd political people could make them.
Federal regulation Of rates, he main
5 tained, would engender q sectional
struggle and result in mileage rates
and provincial industries"
III Represents livestock Interests.
YFormer Senatou William II. Harris,
81 Kansas, representing livestock in
kerests in the southwest urged legisla.
kion giving the Interstate commerce
commission power to Z fix rates. He
spoke DE the increasing cost Of rails
lng livestock in the west and of the
Increased price of meats to consumers,
the prices to some people being almost
prnhibitive. The cattlemen had no de-
sire for government ownership, but
wanted practical governmental super
vision.
4 He complained particularly Of the
rates from the west and southwest on
i young cattle shipped north to the feed
ang grounds. He believed that impair
1 tial officials appointed by the govern
anent could arrive at fair rate as
pWell as Interested parties. Cattle rates
had been increased from Is to 80 per
t4cent and besides the lower rates, the
cattlemen needed rapid transportation
for stock.
Replying to Chairman Elkins, Mr..
Harris said that the roads complained
OF were the Santa Fe, Rock Island and
Union Pacific, which had advanced
rates. The cost of transportation had
increased, but not in proportion to the
rates. The interstate commerce COM
mission, he maintained, could fix rates
could do no more than Ito cut and
to8try.''
"There is a complaint of the advance
In the price of meat now" remarked
Chairman Elkins, land 1t seems to me
well founded"
'sThe government is investigating the
matter now" replied Mr.. Harris, and
we will be interested in the result"
William G'ote, of Elgin. III, inter-
ested in various enterprises, told the
committee that he did not want poll
tical conditions changed, and said il
would be unwise to give the commits
sion power to fix rates as 1t would give
them more business than they could
do
HI. G. Gardner of Winona, Mimi, en-
gagged in milling at that place and
elevators on several lines OF railroads.
expressed his opposition to the Esch-
Townsend OF any measure that gives
the interstate commerce commission
power to make yates.
Charles Nevins of Oshkosh, Wis, a
lumber manufacturer opposed any leg
islation giving the commission power
to fix rates, lest it should disturb the
commodity rates which his company
now enjoyed All similar concerns in
his part Of Wisconsin were satisfied
with present conditions.
Governor 'cu,nmins of Iowa will be
heard by the. committee next week.
HuNr.IEoR RLe aRlzzLY IN VAIN