The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-04-16
Nearly 100000 Trains Affected
by New Rules.
PEOPLE PAY INCREASED COST
Railways Are Now Weary of
Fighting Laws.
If Legislators Inflict Expense
Shippers Must Pay.

The So-caIled full crew bill having
i been defeated in Kansas. Oklahoma.
! Colorado and Nebraska and passed in
| Missouri, discussion of the subject in
| the west became general, and a great
deal of interest was manifested in it.
| The following editorial from the New
| York Times, therefore, may be helpful
to those who have watched the pro-
gress of this character of Iegislation:
The full crew law rivals the blue
sky law in it's all-conquering march
from state to state. New Jersey now
has followed the lead of New York.
OF course congress cannot afford to
lag behind any state in ordering that
wage costs shall be increased unneces-
sarily at the expense of the railways.
The estimate that the New York rail-
ways must pay two million dollars
under the New York law signed on
Monday is additional to the cost under
the proposed federal law, and the same
is true of all other state laws. State
laws now affect 67S,661 trains at least,
the returns being incomplete The pro-
posed federal law affects 3,211056
trains. The cost of compliance with
existing state laws is $1,797, $50, and
the cost of the federal law is put at
$40, 255, 791. There are other items in
the same bill which raise the cost of
compliance to per cent on $267, 912,-
355.
Naturally the federal law is the bet
ter for the employees whose pay is to
be increased, for it orders the rail-
ways to equip all their freight trains
with a minimum crew, whereas the
state laws only require full crews on
freight trains of a specified number OF
cars. Therefore Representative SABBATH,
the proposer of the federal law. is a
stronger candidate than Governor Sui
ger for president, or something equal |
~ as good 1t looks that way. How
f&ars
be explained? So
Roosevelt Way of Doing Things.
THE people who will pay the bills |
eventually will decide whether they |
want such bills presented to them, by i
the operation of such statutes. Hith- |
erto they have seemed to like it. /
President Roosevelt won applause by
the Intervention in the anthracite |
strike which caused the first of the
recent jumps in the cost of fuel
There similar wage agreement |
in 1912, and a similar result. Wages
were raised 100000, and prices
were raised $13.500, 900. according to
the recently published report to con-
gress of Secretary NageI. There were
S55 bills before the last congress de-
signed to make railroading more cost
ly. Railway taxes are increasing at
the rate of 100000 annually. The
people supply the railways the cash
to meet these costs, and to make the
matter sure the railways will collect
more than the cost of the full crew
laws, or the tax bills. If the rail-
ways are unable to do this, the peo-
pie will forego the railway accommo
dations they must have. The railways
do not make money. They collect
and distribute money, and compare
lively small indeed is the amount
which sticks to the fingers of the
owners.
Let People Support Lawmakers.
There are signs that the railways
Ire weary of fighting the laws, and
ire preparing to let the people who
support the lawmakers do their fight
ing. or abide the results of the rail-
ways doing as they are bid. If the :
always paid the taxes, or the full
rev expenses, or the firemen's wages.
here would be unanimous joy over !
heir payments being made as high :
Is possible, and even higher. But the Z
commerce of the country pays this r
tax which differs from other taxes :
n not being paid for value received.
Already rates have ceased to fall be- ,
,ause profits fell. Already the cam {
1aign for greater and cheaper rail- I
way accommodations by edict is re- t
lected in the smallest construction t
or fifteen years. Already there is I
hat discrimination against railway t
Investments which was foretold by 7
who spoke to deaf ears.
Never were the railways so sound and
trong or they could not have, with
TODD the burdens laid upon them. l
40 great harm has been done, and /
he recuperative power is strong still. q
he railways are right in putting this
question to those whom it most con- c
erns-the travellers, the shippers and q
he customers of the shippers, the /
'eople who elect the lawmakers. If l.
hey want railroading made costly I
hey should support the legislators
nd executives who are supplying
heir WANT