The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1908-11-21
RAILROAD MANAGERS
ACTING. !; LIKE 1 BlB|lsi
Pretend They Have Been Abused
More Than Any Class Of
Business Men.
STRIVING TO ADVANCE
CHARGES FOR FREIGHT
Threaten to Discharge Thousands
of Employees if Public Pro
tests Charges.

NEW YORK, Nov. 1s.-The railroad
men are organizing for vigorous
campaign to force an advance Of
freight rates. Their argument is that,
unless this be done, wages will have
to be reduced. It is said they. stand
ready to discharge thousands Of en-
ployes to make bad situation worse
If the public refuses to countenance
their extravagant demand for higher
rates. Responsible railroad managers
are acting like g. lot of cry-babies.
They are pretending that they have
been abused more than any other
class of business men, when everybody
knows perfectly we'll that their claim
is absurd.
Depression and Cause.
Railroads are not doing so much
business as in the past, but that IS
not for the reason that they have been
abused, but because there has been
panic, and it might also be said that
tcannot cause one, either. for panfcs
are a natural development Of growth.
They are to the business world what
growing pains are to children. The
panic which has caused all the suffer-
Ing will be over in a. year, and business
is already on the move. The really
important railroad men know this per-
fectly we'll, but under cover of a pre-
tended belief that something must be
done to save the railroads, they are
attempting to fasten on the public a
schedule Of rates that will justify the
enormous prices to which railroad
securities have been manipulated.
Canadian Railways. =s 1870 .ss.;
II the United States occupied all the
North American continent, this matter
might adjust itself and the disaster
caused by such an advance might be
only temporary. But the Canadian
railways are standing ready to snatch
from the American roads the cream Of
east and west transportation business.
and once they get it they will keep it
The supremacy of New York city as
a center Of commerce can perhaps
never be destroyed, but it will be SER
iously impaired if this scheme for
higher freight rates is successful
It must be remembered that the
earth is round like a. ball, and that
any railroad in Canada has a shorter
haul from the Atlantic to the Pacific
than any railroad In the United States.
This alone is enough to give the Cam
adams a. tremendous advantage but,
nadditio nto that, the principal roads
of the Dominion have been promoted
in such a way as not to overburden
them with millions Of stocks and
bonds for which no value came to
the property. Their fixed charges are
so much smaller than those Of rail-.
roads in the United States that, with
gross earnings equal to the fixed
charges of the roads In this country,
they can actually pay dividends and
|lay up a surplus.
Freights in Canada.
With all advantage of distance,
|grades and capitalization, the Cana
dian railroads are perfectly satisfied
with present freight rates ,and they
view with delight the efforts Of the
!Cry-Baby League of American Rail
road Presidents to advance rates. An
advance will drive millions OF dollars
worth of commerce from New York
Cit yto Montreal. It will drive tens
of thousands Of prosperous farmers
, from the United States into the Cana
dian northwest. It will injure the
Northwestern part of the United
States and will transfer the entire
Alaskan business from Seattle to Chi
icago. It will disarrange business MAJ
jterially and retard the wave Of pros
perity which is now at about its lows
I esf and readv To advance swiftly if M