The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-04-18
R. R. SYSTEMS
y NATI0NALEED
Unified Operation, For Years the
Dream of Railroad Men, Given
Great Impetus by Official Acts Of
Secretary McAdoo.
PROFITEERING AND WASTE.
Nonpartisan League, Rather Than the
Precedent for Loaning Money for
Agricultural Enterprises, is What
is Feared by the Lawmakers.

Washington, u. g. April 17.-Regard-
less of theoretical discussions as to
whether Government ownership should
should be permanent policy or
simply war measure, Secretary
McAdoo is daily adopting measures
that tend to nationalize the railroad
systems. Unified operation, the
dream Of railroad men for years, has
been given great impetus by the
announcement that after May LIST,
goods may be shipped across the coun-
try on one way bill, no matter how
many railroads may handle them in
transit. In the past a car of goods
from New York to San Francisco
might be shipped by four different
railroads and on four different way
bills. That meant when a car arrived
at railroad terminal point it had to
be held there until it was checked in
on the old waybill and checked out on
a new one that had to be made. Dur
ing a period of freight congestion
that system often held up cars for
days and even weeks.
Mr.. McAdoo, who has already or
dered the discharge of all lobbyists
and legal departments that could not
show legal reasons for their existence
is now moving to discharge useless
officials and useless branches of rail-
road staffs. These useless persons
include chairmen of boards of direct
ors, traffic solicitors and attorneys
who negotiate contracts with the gov
ernment. In short, the upper strata Of
railroad society is to be pruned for
the benefit of the stockholders and
the public.
Government Recognizes Labor.
Another big factor toward unifica-
tion of the system is the recognition
by the government of the four broth
erhoods Of train operatives in all
wage and labor disputcsy and the pro-
viding Of boards for the readjustment
of all differences. This means absolute
solidarity between the government
and 100000 railroad employees.
In the debate in the house on the
Baer bill, the fact kept outcropping
that it was the farmers organization
that was feared rather than the pre-
cedent for loaning money for agri-
cultural enterprises.
Particularly was that part of the
of the bill appropriating $2,5O0,OOO.
for expenses for transporting agri-
cultural laborers from one section to
another opposed by those who want
to keep their farm workers contented.
This was brought out by Stevenson Of
South Carolina, who said:
Everybody knows that our labor is
largely colored labor, and a PROPOSE
tion to give them free ride to Kan
sas or Montana or elsewhere would
denude the cotton and corn farms Of
their labor in "a hours His voice was
simply the conscience Of the South ex-
pressing itself, for the bill is safe
guarded so that transportation of la
Dor would help rather than hinder
production.
Profiteering and Waste.
Never was the waste of our present
system of distribution so we'll illus
trated as they have been by an article
in the April Outlook by J. L. D. Dean,
a farmer of Waterville Maine.
According to figures given by Mr..
Dean from the New York Department
of foods and markets, the consumers
dollar is divided so that 35c goes to
the producer and 65c to the various
agencies of distribution. Just how
much Of this Csc is required for need
ed labor and how much Of it goes to
the profiteers the report does not say
nor does Mr.. Dean contend that the
average individual in the system Of
distribution gets too large pay for
his labor.
The entire scheme Of distribution
is too cumbersome and expensive, for
the service it renders. There is un-
necessary number of hands before
they get to the retailer. The retail
stores are unnecessarily complicated.
These stores duplicate delivery routes
They duplicate stocks Of food in every
neighborhood, and, instead Of compe-
tition to keep the price down there is
collusion so that the buying price may
be low enough and the selling price
high enough to enable all Of those un-
necessary duplicating agencies to live
on the business.
Duplicate Labor Costly.
In my neighborhood' says the Maine
farmer, there are fifteen provision
stores doing the work that three
could easily do. I believe that the dis
tribution Of provisions in my neigh
borhood could be efficiently and sat
isfactorily effected ct one third tho
present expense and perhaps less
Now them, I'll these unnecessary
(Csatinusd = Rags %