The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-06-15
RAILROAD COMPETITION

'AS oheSAi DNSli NlulillSu lid
Ii Lakeland had another railroad
the community would get tn,
dement, OF Competition III tn,
shape OF lower freight rates. Th,
implication goes with these
statements that Lakeland is lab
orlnS under disadvantage a.
compared with other cities O
this section, which are entered
by two railroad lines, and thai
her citizens pay higher freight
rate than these supposedly more
favored communities.
The Evening Telegram has
never taken much stock in this
contention 1t would welcome a
new railroad, or dozen of them,
lust as It would any other insti-
tutions which could thrive here
without overcrowding the field,
and which would go TO swell the
sum total of our industrial or
commercial activity. But we
know that railroads are conduct
ed on business principles. We
know that they are not built
with the idea Of running any
other transportation company
out of business. They are con-
Quoted with the primary idea of
making money for those who op-
crate or own them, and this can
be done only by getting business
at rate that will yield profit
above the cost of handling the
business. 1t costs one railroad
about the same to operate a train
as another. The cost OF trans
porting a given volume OF any
commodity certain number of
miles is about the same on all
lines of railroad which operate
under similar conditions. There
tore the popular idea that as
soon as a second line enters
town, the two roads compete"
by cutting rates, is entirely err
roneous.
These reflections are called
forth by the result of an investi-
CATION conducted by the Lake
land Chamber of Commerce of
ott-repeated statements that low
er freight rates are enjoyed by
shippers from nearby CITY
than can be secured by those
shipping from Lakeland. The
committee reports that they
found the rates OF the two com
peting' railroads in the neigh
boring city to be exactly the
same; and that these rates were.
in effect, the same as obtain from
Lakeland
Doubtless, transportation rates
are too high; but those who look
to railroad competition for rem
edy are, we fear, doomed to dis
appointment. In any event. no
one need fear any considerable
discrimination by reason of Lake
land being his shipping point.
While this city has only one rail
road system, it is very import
ant center of that system and
enjoys transportation advan-
ta2es superior to many cities
with two or more competing"
lines.
w. ]. y. certainly; ought 10
give the Arcadia Enterprise
hand-out from his next Chautau-
qua receipts. 1t is the only pa
per in Florida, and one OF the
few in the country, which up
holds the Secretary for his ac-
ton in lying down on his Job.
The Enterprise with character
istic broadness and liberalitv in
Inmates that all the papers that
criticise Mr.. Brgan-and that
means practically all in the State
and vast majority of those of
the natlon-are controlled by
the linuor interests or belong to
the "Plunderbund press. Isn't
1t nice To be the only good little
boy III all this wicked world?
When you see man who has
turned the other cheek until the man
who was swatting him got tired. and
who then backs up to take a kicking.
you may think he's a coward. Be
not hasty in your jud2 ments. how
ever; he may be Prince of Peace"
General Gilchrist is out in a long
article, the burden of which is
Peace Not Yet in Sight :" Certainly
Nat Bryan and Perry
Wall after the same job he is, to say
nothing of Park Trammell, who may
walk away with the bone while the
other three are quarreling about it.
Honestly, the country seems 20 be
gettin9 along about as well as be-