The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-04
Take Over Lines Only Way for
e. S. To Get Fund Back.
Appropriation for Half Billion
Is Presidents Proposal.
into A. FINANCIAL NETWORK
No Chance for Railroads Ever
To Extricate Themselves.
Will Mean Govt Will Continue
To Fix Wage Scales.
BY u. G. MARTINI

Washington, JAN 4.-PreSident Will
son today started congress on a legis-
lative program, expected to result
eventually in government ownership
of the nations railroads.
Here is what is expected of con-
gress:
Creation of an organization under
Director General McAdoo, siRilar to
the government shipping board to buy
and sell railroad securities
Appropriations of $500,000,000 for
| immediate improvements with protec-
| tive legislation to insure the govern
ment not losing money put into such
improvements.
Laws authorizing to compensate the
railroads on a basis of the average
| operative net income of the last three
years.
travellers and shippers, under the gov
ernment leased regime.
All Powers to McAdOO.
Authorization to the president or
McAdoo of all power to run the rail-
roads during the war.
| Out of the financial web thus
woven no one-neither railroad ex-
ecutives, stockholders, administration
| officials nor labor leaders-believes
| the transportation systems will ever
extricate themselves to return to pri-
vate operation.
The moment the question of money
| to rehabilitate the railroads is raised,
| the government ownership advocates
will begin their active campaign. They
declare that once the government IN
vests directly in the railroads the only
| way it will get its money back Will be
| to take over the lines, at valuation
| which eliminates the $4,000 900
admitted water in the 100000, 900. 900
railroad capitalization.
Reach to Other Industries.
While legislators awaited the presi-
dents word on railroads, an effort to
| have the government fix wages in
practically all industrial lines during
| the war was begun in the senate.
! Senator King prepared resolution
calling on the senate commerce COM
mittee to report whether legislation
authorizing the government to Tx
wages of all workmen engaged on gov
ernment contracts would be constitu-
tionaI I, the committees report is
favorable, King will introduce bill
authorizing such wage standardiza-
tiun.
King admitted today the enactment
of SUCH law undoubtedly would re
act on the labor market generally, re-
| sulting, in fact, in government wage
fixing for the whole country.
Competition Against Each Other.
"Stabilization of the labor situation
is my aim," said King. Testimony
of government officials is that one de-
partment has been bidding against
another for labor, while all govern
ment departments have faced keen
competition by private employers
Wages have been raised, as a result
of this, so that men doing the same
sort of work in different places are
not paid the same. This causes dis
| content"
Senator Hollis, New Hampshire,
planned to call the railroad question
to the senate'S attention at once thru
| a speech OF England's experience with
| government control. Hollis planned
to emphasize England's handling of
railroad workers.
| Coal Trains Have Right of Way.
| Columbus, Ohio, Jan. 4.-For the
first time in history solid trains of
| coal were being rushed thru the Union
passenger station with right of way
! over all other service today. The coal
| is from Ohio, Kentucky and West Vir-
ginia fields, and is consigned to the
| east.
| Cold Handicaps Traffic.
| Philadelphia, Jan. 4-Passenger
! train congestion on the Pennsylvania
/ railroad here was worse than at any
time since the cold wave gripped the
: railroads and upset schedules. Only a
! few locomotives could be taken from
| the round houses. and trains scheduled
! to leave Broad street station last night
4 did not get away until between and
| 9 O'Clock this morning. An electric
: train which left the station at 11:35
! last night for Paoli, twenty miles dis
i tant. did not reach its destination until
! 5 a. m. today.
DCGkIl DEAD AnMEQhI