The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1911-01-31
Gle VieWcf tt
In This Space Amy Subject or
Event May Receive Comment

The latest fad is efficiency. Golfers
calls it modern efficiency" and it is ex-
pected to cover interstate commerce, or
ganization, manufactures, and the gen
eral public. It is announced that the
greatest reduction now possible in the
cost of living must come from the scier-
tihc study of efficiency"
This throws beam of light on the
subject. 1t had been surmised that the
high cost of living came from the inef-
fciency of the food supply and of course
the scarcity of food naturally caused the
high price of living which was attenu-
ated by cold storage houses. The pro-
longed howl the high cost of living has
been submerged.
Now is heard reduce cost through in
lcreased efficiency. This rule has been
found to work we'll 1t has been proved
than 100000 day can be saved by
scientific management of railroads. Such
results speak. The only thing about this
modern efficiency that is scary is that
people will become money making ma
chimes without rhyme or reason enough
to know when TO stop. 1t is cited, after
man had been converted TO efficiency,
he raised the rate of bricklaying from
1000 to $500 bricks with no harder work.
Sounds like fairy tale, but did the fairy
lpay the bricklayer that handled 27oo
bricks more than when he handled 1000
/ That is just what is troubling us. What
become of the extra amount made by eff
Ifciency? Hope there is no hocus-pokus
about it. But somehow it does seem sus-
Epicious. When we heard that 81, 100000
a day could be saved by the railroads
practicing efficiency that seemed some
thing like But now we hear that the
railroads want to raise the rates. and the
threat is being muttered that if the In
Iterstate Commerce Commission refuses
Ito raise railroad rates, the punishment
inflicted on the people will be panic.
/ How can this be? Oh, yes, we see, high
financing will do it To be sure the rail-
roads have more money than they can
luse, and SO they can finance the people
up brown.
But it strikes us that the Interstate
Commerce Commission don't meet the
petition for permission to financially
raise the rates exactly in the correct
spiritual mood of intelligence. Some
how that commission got oyerawed, and
lif it amt careful it will not be able to
collect its commission from the people.
1t is the people who always pay the
taxes. and it is the people who the rail-
lroads expect to pay the higher rates.
And it is the business of the commission
to balk the fiiiancering of the railroads.
/ What is the matter with that commits
sion that it thinks that it is its mission
larry duty to teach modern economics,
scientific management and efficiency and
"a few other things the like of which sup
lposedly they never knew before king
domcome?
/ May be your Uncle Sam amt much of
Ia missionary of the efficiency doctrine
and amt going to stand no finance
threats, and is Just going to give right
of way to the people. That is, if the peo-
pie want it. But if the people get their
lnoddles so filed with the financial rot
THAT emanates from the mouth pieces of
capital as to imagine it is to their adj
vantage to mildly argue on finance on
lone side, higher rates is up on to them.
But il on the other hand the people say
Look here Mister Erie, Delaware
Lackawanna Central New Jersey (and
Others not mentionahle) the people want
icheaper railroad rates. and we are going
| to have them: and if there is any deficit
You can just PUNK down some of your
extra cash and pay youhself out. As
long as you have taken iaitiative-in
asking for higher rate, we are going to
have lower rates and tackle the. Inter-
State Commission to attend to the job. :
/ That Interstate Commerce Commission
is supposed to represent the people, amt
Iit2 Who is hiring it anyhow? What is
it made up of? What is the names of the
creatures? We want to know, you
know? We want information.
---.---------s--------