Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1912-12-21
Railroad Regulation

In this day of the high cost of liv-
ing the law opposes just one increas-
ed to the consumer-the cost of rail-
road operation. 1t permits the
manufacturer and merchant to raise
prices on all that people eat, wear, or
in fact, use, but if railroad wishes
to raise freight or passenger rate it
must apply for permission to the
interstate commerce commission, en-
dure a long, expensive hearing with
the chances ten to one against it, or
if it should increase the rate without
permission it would suffer penalty
seyerer than any railroad cares to in
cur.
On the other hand if the coal pro-
ducer or a manufacturer of any
staple commodity is forced to increase
wholesale the wages of employees he
invariably follows it with an increas-
ed cost of his product to the consum-
er and the consumer is readily con-
tent to accept the excuse, that the
added cost of prod uction necessitat-
ed an additional cost price of the
article. But the public will not brook
The Railroad trainman of October
calls attention to the fact that when
railroad and its employees, who have
been at outs over demand for more
wages, settle their digerences by at
tribution or otherwise without in
convenience to the public, the people
and the press laud them as public
spirited and unself1sh but that the
public is never so ready to see tie
justice of the railroad raising rates to
meet these continuously advancing
wages.
And just here is where the situa-
tion most vitality touches the railroad
employee and his family. They suf-
fer discrimination and often they,
themselves, fall into the common
error of thinking that the railroads
should not have the same rights in
this particular as are enjoyed by
every other business enterprise. 1t
amounts simply to this; that railroads
cannot go on raising wages without
raising rates, which means that the
l $780, 900 railway employees and their
families totally about 5000, 900 of ouI
&c, 900, 900 people, must meet every
other increased cost of living and be
forced to fight to equalize their own
wages with these increased costs. 1t
is rank discrimination.
Other industrial concerns can ad-
vance prices on the flimSieSt pretext.
For instance, shoe manufacturers
raise the price of their product or
the ground that the heavy demand
for leather by automobilists
restricts the market until
they say. it is doubtful whether
the shoe houses can supply the de
mand at all. But no one ever heard
of man with the price of a pair oi
shoes having togo barefooted because
of lack in the supply. Similar argu
ments are used by rubber plants
textile factories coal mines and Other
industries, and the consumer, who
would grow purple in the face protest
ing against relatively insignificant
raise in railroad rates, meekly accepts
the situation.
Every time railroad employees rise
up to ask more pay they are arraing
ed by the public and if they strike
they are condemned, along with theil
employers, the railroads. But is il
fair to ask the railroad employees te
meet the increased cost of theil
clothing, shoes, food and fuel without
an increased wages And is it fair tt
their employers, the railroads, thai
they shall pay more for everything
they buy, labor as well as material
equipment and rolling stock, while
denying to them all right to raist
their cost of production TO the con
sumner?
The Railroad Trainman again says
| ssIf railroad regulation is such al
excellent thing because it protects th'