Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1915-01-07
WHY-.THF CO.. " oP.
GRATING RAILROADS
HAS BEEN INCREASED
Struggling Against Increased Cost Of Labor
Supplies, ETC., on One Ifand....Reduc-
ed Rates on the Other

4 i
ncrshipof railroads have been
somewhat persistent in the pub
lie press and the matter is re.
terred to here, not with any
idea of comba ting this propa-
ganda, but merely that the PEG
pie may see both sides OF tie
picture. So long as lot of
men welcome the Wrecking OF
the railroads on the theory
that the government VIII take
them over and that such state
OF affairs would be preferable
to private ownership, it will be
impossible to obtain from them
a fair Judgment of the latter
system which now prevails in
the United States 1t is impos-
sible to go into this great ques-
ton at any length at this time'
but here are a few things worth
thinking about: Much has
been said in recent years about
the "water' contained in Amer
lean railroad securities, and, in
this connection the valuation
of the government owned rail-
roads OF Europe is very inter-
esting. In Germany the state
owned roads are valued at STA,
1e5 per mile, In Austria atS120.,
692, in hungary at s69,2lO, in
Italy at 1926, 1856, in Belgium at
$3.50, 914. in Switzerland at
S102, $50, in Roumania at $780,
113, in Japan at s6s, 104, in New
South Wales at S71,391-wllile
the privately Owned lines OF the
United States, regardless Of
what water may lave been for
ced into them in specific in
stances, are valued at only S63,
944 per mile. Whatever inaa-
ticn may therefore been put in
to these properties in the past,
the fact remains, that their
present valuation is much low
er than that of the government
owned railroads of Europe,
and, what is still more impor-
tant. the rates charged are the
lowest and the service render
ed admittedly the best in the
world. 1t is also pertinent to
remember that the charge Of
watered stocks, after all, can
be made against but very few
American railroads-the lion S
share of them having been
managed without a breath of
scandal or criticism.
In this connection, state
ment contained in the last an
nual report of the Deu'sche
Bank of Berlin, which has a
paid-up capital and reserve
fund of SIS, OO0, 600, is interest
ing: "American railroads need
higher rates. The present rat
es are the lowest In the world
representing but fraction
of the English railway rates,
for instance-and this in tine
face Of the fact that wages in
the United States on the aver
aye are fully twice us high as
in Europe . Certainly this
view of the privately owned
lines of the United States; COM
ing from Germany, which las
the most successful state own
ed system OF transportation in
the world, is Worry of grave
consideration.
In further confirmation OF
this statement we quote the
following statistics: 1t cost z
mills per mile on an average to
haul ton Of freight in the
United States while in England
il costs an average OF 2.33
cents. in France l.41 cents and
in Germany AZ cents The
average daily wage paid to
American railroad employees
50 %, in England it is 81 Is, and
in Germany and France it aver
ages little more than dollar
per day Are American rail
roads therefore entitled to the
wholesale abuse and denuncia-
ton which has been heaped
upon them from all sides in re
cent years?
LETTING WELL ENOUGH ALONE
In view OF these facts, the
average citizen may we'll ask
himself whether it is not best