The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-06-03
STAY AT HOME AND WORK
Lexington Herald)

Are you going travelling? How? BY |
foot, or horse-drawn vehicle, by motor
car, or on the railroad? Rather a
serious question it will be from this
time forward, for those who want to
go from place to place. Many who
have heretofore gone without special
thought of cost, will now take full
heed of cost and stay at home.
If you travel in sleeper, 31A cents a
mile you pay; in many cases 70 per
cent. more than you formerly paid for
railroad fare, and the same as for
merly for Pullman fare. If you want
a section you must have ticket and a
half. If you want drawingroom,
two tickets. And if you wish the ey-
elusive use of the drawingroom, with
the certainty that no one else will be
put in with you, you must have five
full tickets No longer will the luxur-
ious, exclusive individual, unless in
spired by the desire to contribute
money to the railroad, be found trav-
cling alone in a drawingroom, Even
now seats are a premium in the day
coaches. Those who have travelled re-
Gently have seen even throughout the
night men and women sitting on their
baggage in the aisles of the day
coaches, using the sleepers, if at all,
only during the night and not during
the day.
No regulations could be passed that
would have more effect in keeping
people at home than the increase of
railroad rates A most excellent re-
suit this will be, If they who stay at
home work during the time they have
heretofore travelled and played.
We doubt seriously if the increase
in the passenger rates increases
greatly the revenue of the railroads.
But beyond question it will lessen the
necessity for the hauling of heavy
sleepers, and even of day coaches, so
that the motive power can be used for
the transportation of freight,
What the increase of freight rates
will mean to- the business Of America
it is impossible as yet to tell An in
crease of rs per cent. is heavy bur-
| den in the use of motor trucks for
whatever distances their use is feas-
ible. 1t will mean the curtailment in
every way of the shipment of freight
1t will mean the production of food
where 1t is consumed, the self-support
of communities so far as possible.
But there are many commodities
that must be transported, coal, iron,
timber and manufactured goods Of
various sorts. Cotton must be car
ried from the South, from the West,
and the freight enters into cost
as surely as do taxes. Freight
rates are in a sense taxes, taxes on
production and on consumption. The
people of America must quickly ad-
Just themselves to the new conditions
that confront them, the conditions
that make passenger travel most ex-
pensive, that make freight rates most
onerous. What REIMBURSEMENT in
prices of commodities will be neces-
sary because of the increased freight
rates can only be told as the problems
of cost and expense are worked out.
But beyond all preadventure 1t means
that the American people must econo-
mize, that their earnings and their
savings may go to what is essential
for the prosecution of the war. We are
confident that the people of America
will face these new problems and bear
these additional burdens in the spirit
the French and Belgians have borne
the infinitely greater burdens and sor-
rows they have carried with unwaver-
ing courage.