The state herald., 1910-07-01

motive power and equipment to move
their freight with promptaess and econ
omy. Where can they get the money?
Only by Increased earnings from ad-
vanced rates, and by SO doing better
their credit by attracting the uninvest.
ed dollars that are now going to other
more attractive but less productive in.
vestments.
What will the advance cost the VI.
Innate Consumer Poor's Manual says
the average haul Of all freight in 1908
was 142 miles. The average rate in
1909 was three-fourths of a cent per
ton per mile.
The average total rate for the aver.
age total haul. assuming 1t to be the
same as 1908. would be $1.06 per ton.
An advance of 1919 ON this rate would
Increase the cost 10 cents per ton,
or 1900 of a cent per pound. An ad-
vance of 1919 on the present specific
rates would increase the cost OF 100
pounds dressed beef in New York,
shipped from Chicago. Az cents; 100
pounds canned fish in st. Louis.
shipped from Maine, $40 cents; 100
pounds flour in New York, from Min.
neapolis, 2 cents; a suit of clothes In
Chicago. from Boston, " cent; the
same for woman's suit. On a mans
outfit, coat. trousers. shoes and hat.
New England to Mississippi Valley. not
to exceed l cent. The Ultimate
Consumer can multiply these illustra.
tons indefinitely. The manufacturer
jobber and retailer could easily absorb
this slight advance, because, II his
business increased but one unit, that
would more than pay the increased
cost on one hundred units.
Railroad net earnings thus increased
the railroads would have ready mar.
ket for their securities, and with the
money thus obtained again start all
the business and industries now COM
paratively idle that are directly or in.
directly dependent on their property.
| The working men would be fully EN-.
ployed their families would again pur.
chase freely. and that means good
business for everyone.
There are 100000 railroad EN-.
ployees. 1t takes 100000 men to sup.
ply what the railroads need. and vast
number Of men are employed in sup.
plying the personal needs of the above
100000 men and their families, rep.
resening 100000 people. Every
kind of business is dependent in some
measure on railroad prosperity
High cost Of living: If 1t had not been
for the announcement given railroad
investors in the past, where would we
have been to-day for our food supply? ?
They opened up thousands of miles
of undeveloped and unproductive land
and yet our food is high. because of
lack Of supply: our consumption is in.
creasing faster than our food produc.
ton, If the railroad investor stops as
he now has. there will be an advance
in food rates soon that will be far
greater than increased freight rates.
High food means high labor, and high
labor means high everything. There.
fore the Ultimate Consumer and the
State and National Governments should
pe Interested In developing land that
xii produce bountlful food products.
Half of the country west of the Mis-
sissippi Is not used. and will not be
until covered with railroads. Who
would want 10 build roads In unproduc.
/ tive lands when those In cultivated
country will barely pay the lowest rate
Of interest. and the owners and man.
ayers are being harassed and maligned
as In no other businessy
This condition will only improve
when the business man realizes that
the investor does not provide the
source OF his own investments. He
waits for you TO do that In some de
sirable form. by your individually let
ting things drift. and doing nothing
your legislator. with no business ex
| perience. hearing no advice and receiv
ing no direct information. which he
gladly would from you tquite likely
you do not even know his name). lis
tens to the only voices heard: the agi
taior or the aggressive shipper whose
] Views of the business world are OBJ
tained by looking out of the small
hole OF funnel directed ut his own
plant. unconscious of other conditions
Of far more importance to his own
business than the freight rates. Such
men ms these by their vociferous vigor
have stirred up popular anti.corpora
lion agitation that has covcd all par
ties. and they are NO scared OF being
charged ms owned or bought that all
questions of principle. equity or the
general good are ignored. The rail
road man draws his salary. whether
the rond pays or not; he does not own
Il. II he does say anything he is sat
upon. The stockholders MS body are
defenscloss. You are the sufferer and
the only one who would be listened
TO. WIN you not study your own inter
cuiH. ind out your legislators name
and tell him the real si,uationY Other
wise we mus, walt until grim ncccs
Slty starycs out the present anti.rail
road fever.