Carson City daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1907-1930, 1916-09-12

why not agree upon a modus vlvendl
until we can get the facts that we
need for the fair determination of
the real questions?
"Of curse the modus vivendi
would itself be a matter of arbitra-
ton. but the award would be tenn
porary. Fer example. why should
not an agreement now on a nine-hour
dav with time and a quarter pay tor
overtime. such an agreement to run
for one year or two years? In the
meantime we would get together the
information that any board of arbi-
tration must have to reach an intelll-
gent conclusion.
III we could find some way to pre-
vent by law radical action i'll the way
of strike or lockout until the govern
ment could ascertain all the facts and
instruct public opinion, it would be
worth while.
1--WE not only want to know what
the men need. but what the roads are
able to pay without impalring their
service to the public. rs between
money that goes to favored stock
holders by manipulation and money
that is paid to employees in increased
WaAcs, | much prefer the latter, but
there must be fair dividends. The
welfare OF the entire country demands
that. for the railway investor is one
of the chief contributors to that well
fare. Without him we can have no
further development Of the country
chief industry, the industry upon
which all our other industries de-
pend. If ability to pay dividends IS
found to depend o n authority to IN
crease rates to meet the increasing
cost OF labor and applies and taxes
A. it is bound t. be, then by all
means let the roads increase the
rates.
ITO decrease dividends to the van
ishing point. thereby cutting oft all
new capital, means government own
crship. and we ought not to approach
Government ownership in this cOun-
try until government regulation mas
failed 1t is now so tar from beng
A failure that the United States has
today the best system OF railroads III
the world. with the best wages tor
employees and the best service to the
public and by far the cheapest ser
vice in proportion to its quality.
a." would prefer wage increases
and shorter hours and rate increases
to pay the bigger bills to govern
ment ownership. | realize that the
world is drifting toward 1t. Inc
European countries have it. England
is practically running her own roads
But why should we change SO Ions
as our roads are better, better tor all
concerned, under the United States
system of regulation than the GOV
ernment-owned foreign systems are
ii this country ever does come Il
government ownership we surely &c
net want to be forced to it by a
cataclysm Of industrial war. 1t mus
come, if at all, through the orderly
process OF evolution. which mean:
the perfection Of regulation first. |
the government should take over the
roads the interest it would have to
pay on the money borrowed tor Tho
purpose probably would be less tina,
the dividends now paid to stock
holders, but | doubt very much il
the service would be as economic
and efficient as it is now, and 1t is
difficult 20 estimate the effect 1t
would have on the country to have
more than a million voters added tC
the payroll Of the government en-
ployes.
To come back to the present, |
see no way for the settlement OF oul
labor disputes except by mediation
and if that fails. by arbitration. and
we already have sufficient law fol-
that purpose, if it is supplemented by
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