Norwich bulletin., 1918-02-14


 with certain duties to the public, and the further fact that this charter may be revoked or altered at any time, has no significance.
 Railroad is Prime Necessity.
 The railroad is prime necessity to the people. The government, in order to meet this necessity, has given to the railroad companies the right 60 take land and construct it's lines, de- manding. m return, non- discriminate ing rates and accommodations. (
 Railroads Private Enterprises. |
 There are instances of large pub lie grants to railroads and there are instances of large public grants 70 other private enterprises. Millions of acres have been practically given away, and properly so, the farmers who have settled the great west. In the east. the railroads have had to pay two prices fo-' the land they have purchased. The claim that railroad property, though private, is charged with obligations to the public, from which other private enterprises are free, is untenable, and it is just this faalacy, that will bring consternation to those who later on may desire to stop before they cross the dead line of socialism.
 All private property is charged with it's oblfbations to the public, and those obligations are measured by the econ ofnic necessities of the body polite. whether they be imposed by taxes or by restfietive and primitive statutes.
 Price Fixing | Failure.
 In the present emergency, the gov ernment has not yet taken possession Of the farms and mines, but it has fix ed the prices of coal and wheat and steel: asd let me remark, in passing, that this, price fixing will end in la mentable failure unless 1t be liberal enough to insure constantly increasing production. You cannot compel men to do business at loss. | The war necessity may demand many sacrifices in life and property but when you destroy the sources oi income. you insure the joss of the war | What England and France Did. l England and France early saw the reed of increasing production and they did it in the one sure way. TheJ made prices secondary matter. Eng. lasd raised passenger rates 50 per cent on the outbreak of the war and she al. so realized that enough wheat at 5: a bushel would be much cheaper thar no wheat at g a bushel. I do not
 care how patriotic the producers are they cannot produce at a loss for any length; of time. If wages are higi
 the products of labor will be high. A
 we are ail consumers, and nearly al
 of us arc producers, high prices cal
 be endured if they are / relative  Previous Record of Railroads. We must not forget that the recort of the railroads prior to their regula
 tion by congress and the states is
 remarkable one. For years the build
 ing of railroads furnished field o speculative adventure unequalled il history. For years the railroad wa considered the chief material need o
 growing America Railroad buildin
 became almost mania Great finan
 cial risks were taken. Millions wer
 lost, as well as made. It has bee, . stated that the total investment il r railroads has returned dividend c less than 1-2 pei cent With tn completion of the Union Pacific an
 the great trunk lines of the east cam i, the consolidation era. As the possi : biiities and the advantages of combi r nation and cooperation in transporta A . prices were paid for the stock of com 2 peting and contributing lines. In tn east. trolley lines and terminals an
 hotels were bought and built at ey
 travagant cost. Ambitious manager
 lost their heads in their eagerness t Isecure vertical and horizontal monopc d hes of everything that promised n iprof1t. Discrimination in rates wa 1t the order of the day. To get a To d rate, one must play poker with the le n cal manager and let him win.
 y Sentiment Against the Carrier. "a Naturally the public did not take , V this idea. The tide of popr s lar sentiment, turned again, V the carrier. The states crs i. ated commissions whose sole duty V was to watch and regulate transports , {. ton by rail. The free passes that hs II been proudly exhibited by moulders a q public opinion, as a mark of distin, tien, were either returned or kept ;: an inside pocket. State legislators tn had been the tools of the carrie :, found safety in a complete change ' front. Finally congress took a har
 and in due time the other extren
 was reached. Rates were fixed ar n rate pooling was prohibited. Compel l. ton was made mandatory and con a binations forbidden.
 1T Cost and Wages.
 st The 100000 miles of track in u
 United States have been put down f n less than half the average cost D 't mile in other countries. Transport; 'r ton in the United States costs le lt than half the average cost in oth '- countries. The wages paid are mo '- than double the average wage in oth n countries. The average tonnage p 2 car and the total tonnage per mile n greatly in excess of that in other coul .d tries. The regularity. safety and con i- fort of the service provided by u