The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1913-12-12

government ownership. The margin
between what we are taking in and
what we are paying out is steadily
growing narrower; we are suffering
from slow starvation" declares w. c.
Maxwell, traffic manager of the Wa
bash, and this statement virtually sum-
marizes the evidence laid before the
Interstate Commerce Commission last
week, when it listened to the plea of
the eastern railroads-those in the ter
ritory east of the Mississippi and
north of the Ohio and Potamac rivers
for per cent. rate increase. The
shippers side of the case is to be
heard later. The advance asked for,
according to railroad official quoted
in the New York Journal of Commerce,
would add between $35,0OO,O0O and
$4O,OO0,00O to the revenues of the rail-
roads involved" and of this total
about so per cent. would accrue to
the three main systems, the Pennsyl-
vania, the New York Central, and the
Baltimore & Ohio"
AS explained to the commission by
Daniel Willard, president of the Balti-
more & Ohio, the railroads of the
country have felt the burden of the in
creased cost of living like all other en-
terprises or individuals, "but, unlike
all others, have not been permitted so
far to raise their prices or adjust their
charges in recognition of that burden. y
Mr.. Willard submitted figures to show
that since 1910 the petitioning rail-
roads have spent more than 5000 ,OOO,-
600 in additions and improvements
while their net income in the same
period has decreased more than $16,-
100000, because operating expenses
have increased faster than operating
revenues, These companies he
said, apparently not only failed to
earn any return whatever on the new
capital invested, but saved even less
from gross earnings, as returned upon
the original property investment, than
they were able to show before this
large additional expenditure was
made Wage payments, he pointed
out, have gone up by leaps and
bounds, largely as result of media
'tion arbitration proceedings" and he
cited the recent award of 100000
annually in increased wages to con-
ductors and trainmen as an instance.
Moreover, ''the effect of the so-called
full crew laws alone has been to in
crease the expenses of these carriers
more than $4,000000 per annum.' The
commissions decision in this case, ar
gued Mr.. Willard, "will mark an
epoch" since it will very largely de-
termine whether the country shall
continue as in the past to look
to private capital and private en-
terprise for its transportation re-
quirements, 'or be compelled finally
to accept the only alternative possible
government ownership and control. :"
Wages and the cost of living have
advanced throughout Europe in much
the same way that they have in the
United States, remarks the New York
Co1lnnercial, and European railroads,
like ours, ARE feeling the burden Sc
verely." Pint, while many shippers
and large part Of the public are OPP
posing advances in freight rates in
the United States, European, countries
have authorized them in many import
ant cases, and the road owned by the
government have not hesitated to put
additional burdens on every one who
travels or ships goods
THE wisdom of starving the rail-
roads to death is difficult of demon
stration," remarks the Brooklyn Eagle
and the New Sun thinks that the case
for the railroads, in the MAN. is as
clear as crystal" Among other pa
pers which concede the justice of the
railroads petition are the New York
Tribune, Herald, Press, Times, and
journal or Commerce, and the Balti-
more Sun and News The Boston
Transcript, however, thinks that if the
railroads win the desired increase lit
will hardly be without challenge for
while the larger shippers are disposed
to accept the higher rates the small
ones are more numerous and have al
ready filed formidable batch of pro-
tests against any CHANGE And in
the Chicago Tribune we reade
Railroads are not only suffering
from the sins of the past; they are
from the minor faults of the
present management. A wider adop-
ton of the public be pleased policy
would assist in creating public opin-
ion more favorable to the railroads
and their needs than vet eyiStS-and