El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-11-07

~HE railroads have gone before the interstate com
u1erce commission with renewal of their previous
request for IS percent advance IN freight rates It
be hoped the commission VIII consider the matter most
thoughfuy before II grants the request remembering al
ways the consumer, Who in the end must foot the bill
The family IN the home Is forced TO deplee Its purse 1or
every advance rates, wages costs Of materials,
ciuery appliances Of any kind for higher taxation
whether national local II all down the last
buyer and for every raise in first cost he pays the penalty
in the end most frequently with prOteers unearned IN
cTement added.
This has gone far and the cost of living has risen so
high that be stopped shall have this
Try conditions serious than the has brought If
the government does not realize the true conditions al
though warnings have than been uttered by first
class authorities, It high time that It awoke. It is for
that that the interstate commission should
90 very slowly opening for giving to nearly
everything consumed in this country another upward boost
through horizontal raise freight rates. Nearly every
thing goes board somewhere its journey
from the producer to the and Hat increases
freight rates mean corresponding greater increases
in the cost to the people Of the neCessaries of life
On the other hand fairness to the railroads. the
mission should not reject their request without careful
animation to its merits True, published figures Of rail
road earnings within the past twelve month fail reflect
the conditions which the railroads claim On the contrary
they would indicate that the railroads handling
business at generally higher rates now than ever before and
hat their profits, net well gross generally speak
ing, than barely adequate In fact, satisfactory
financial statement of the Santa Fe railroad
that president E. P Ripley felt called upon his
get that the statement did not show certain
pense which the company expected the future and
mdLeLla4y SAID the
Of the report In Short the railroad system appeared to be
making great deal money than It actually would
make.
nay be- the railroads claim that they are haunted
by the fear Of bankruptcy. It may that their securities
declining market value and that their earning power
insufficient either for purposes Of credit for attracting
investors It may be that they secure money BY
earning borrowing, for needed improvements and exten
sions If so, If the railroads really "he ragged
edge they must have help in form only because
they deserve moderate profit but also because the country
the present crisis needs excellent railroad service and
must have It at whatever cost
If the railroads cannot keep up their rolling stock and
their roadbsds and buy locomotives and freight cars
and build dngs double tackage or shops OF freight
buildings when they urgently needed for the sake Of
good transportation service then the railroads should have
an increase In sufficient to allow needed in
provements to be made matter whether the increase
more OF less than IS percent.
But IN any event. the commission ought to use caution
n the matter Of revising upward the short rates. espe
ay those have to contend with IN the southwest
The rate coal to FL Paso S575 ton from Colorado
points Of origin example The cost Of moving that
coal easily loaded and unloaded non pershab in steel
gondoas general downh grade E. Paso is actually
considerably more than the Of the itself at the
ne plus the cost Of its production and the margin Of the
coal operators profit and II larger than any other one
element Of expense which goes to make Up the final cost
10 the consumer Perhaps rate experts can Justify that
rate particularly view of the of hauling the epes
back TO the mines but the general public is not expert in
rates and persists IN the that and not few
others obtaining IN the southwest exOrbant and IN