Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-10-24
RAILROAD RATE HEARING
COMES TO AN END

e~->~~1~~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~~-~ ~0~~~~-~-~--~.~~~~~~
telephone companies OF the beef trust
to borrow money as II is for the rail-
roads to do 80.
'rho railroads arc asking for "a
bort eft war tax. they arc asking the
government to lift the burden off part
.of The community and shift II over TO
the shoulders Of others. They ask
the wagc-eafner who has lost his job
ur had his wages reduced, the cotton
planter who cannot sell his cotton.
and he manufacturer who has been
compelled to CLOSE his shop or reduce
his forcc--they ask these men to car
ry the burden of the railroad, in ad-
.dition to their own.
IF 1t Is right for the government to
shield the railroads from the effects
ot the war, il IL Is right for the gov
eminent to make good the losses Of
people In different industries. am GO
ing 20 propose "a measure thut viii re-
quire ever hen In Iowa to lay an egg
every day, and when she fails to do
so. that Che government shall make
OF the egg she did not lay This viii
onahle the farmers to have more mon
ey with which To buy machinery
This. in turn viii make the factories
keep buster il will keep money in
circulation and make the crops big
ger and better And why not TAX
everybody for the benefit Of every
body else ana thereby make everybody
richer How perfectly splendid
Freight rates are net the cause of
the present trouble Tho railroads
have advanced freight ptes on tho
brain Whatever ails them. financial
difficulties, overcapitalsaton gen
Grad depression in husness, over
supply Of gold, whatever the cause.
lhcN huNo lust one remedy -od-
uneed freight rates, a sort OF cure
am az panarea.
y havo friend who finds that If
he eats bcrfstenk three or four days
IN succession one of his hig toes be-
aims to SWEET lie docs not put salve
surgical operation on his eye aud he
does not have his appendix removed
tlc lust quits eating boofsteak He
removes the cause. II this commits
sion wants "a relieve the present
emergency Il could better undertake
go stop that liule unpleasantncss
across the water You cnn advance
freight rates to your hearts content.
il win still be hard To borrow money
That will probably continue until the
war stops
The carriers claim the present
emergcney viii compel them 20 pay a
higher interest rate amounting to | or
u per cent
"a substantial Increase in interest
charges prevailed during 1903, 1909
and the latter part OF 1907 On not
one of these occasions did the carriers
advance frelpht rates They met the
situation in another and wiser man
nor A policy that DEGREES higher
rates during periods of depression aud
lower rates during periods of pros-
pcrlty would be intolcrable You
would have "A fluctuating scale of
rates thai would not hc wolf FOR either
the public or The railroads Further
than that the advances would occur
when the public could least afford
them, and The reductions would come
when the public needs them the least.
Tho present emergency can he met
ln either one 81 two ways
First by the use Of accumulated
surplus. or
Second bN slight reduction in
dividend rates
The company that has wisely hus-
banded substantial surplus durins
the last ten years OF unprecedented
prosperity, can now meet the situation
easily 10y resort to It's accumulated
surplus A company that has not eN-
Iercised this precaution can reduce IT.
dividend rate