The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1918-11-15

chise relationship between electric
railways and the various communi
ties has broken down under the strain
OF the war" declared P H. Gadsden,
one OF the best authorities connected
with war work in Washington. in ad-
dressing the American Electric Rail-
way Association. The street railway
entanglements in all sections of the
country have furnished the most diff
ticuit-and the most interesting prob
lens that have confronted the admin
istratiOn Of war industries The con,
ditions with reference to the rapid
increase in cost of materials. wages,
etc and the decrease on the purchaS-
ing power Of a nickel, have turned
the relations between the companies
and the communities into a topsy-tur-
" state. Mr.. Gadsden in his address
observed that the economic laws or
supply and demand when unhampered
have taken care in a perfectly normal
way of the increased cost TO the con,
surner 1T is only in those industries
where the public has attempted to
tx just and fair price for service
rendered ana where the artificial
standard has been substituted for the
natural one. that we find this COM
plete breakdown under war condi-
tons. he added
\ tabulation representing IS per
cent Of the electric mileage of the
United States shows falling off in
income OF 90 per cent for the first six
months Of 1918 as compared with the
same period last year The national
var labor board has increased wages
III the industry over S100.o0o,00 a
year
Problems Of Profit and Loss
The electric railways find that they
are in d pretty kettle of fish" and
the situation throughout the country
* almost hopeless According 10 Mr..
Cadsden, than whom there are few
better informed upon the subject, the
facts lead inevitably to the conclu.
sion that the present system Of reg
ulating fares by franchises or com
missions is admittedly not sufficient.
I ~ responsive TO violent and radical
changes in operating conditions. He
directs attention to the fact that IN
der the present system before the
company can justify an increase of
its fare it must first show that for a
longer or shorter period it has suf-
tered loss under the existing fare,
which loss cannot be compensated
for by the new rate
Mr. Gadsdeu contends that there
must be d re-casting of the entire
basis OF the relationship existing be
tween the electric railways and the
communities they serve" and while
he does not attempt to supply pam
4cea for the ills OF the electric rail
way industry, he finds hope in an III
innate solution OF the predicameuC in
which the industry has found itself
through the service az cost" plans
recently adopted in Chicago, Boston
and Cincinnati In the past he
says the sole interest OF thu corr
munity has thought to De IL the ser
wee rendered, bur vita . broader con.
ceptiou OF the underlying problems
involved there is q growing tendency
.to recognize community Of interest
ia the problems IF profit and loss. d.
ihayins q diract and immediate hear
+ las upon the rate Of fare.
Shopping for Jobs
WITH industry in the heydey Of It's
/ existence we SID nave the jobless
with rs. News paper readers have OBJ
! served that the heip wanted columns
/ nave become vastly more full which
situations wanted Columns reveal the
fact that q lot OF people are still IN
liable to connect with employment La
! Dor mas been getting OF familiar
terms with the government since the
/ beginning OF the war and federal en-
! Pigment service mas been doing good
work Now with victory and peace II
! is unthinaable 1hat.the returning sci
/ diers and the vast army Of industrial
workers VIII have 10 &C shopping Tor
Jobs. Labor unions nave for years
taken . part in securing employment
/ for labor. but their field has been linn
/ lied 1t must be observed that the
federal war industries board ana
many divisions Of the government
service chat have been dealing with