Evening star., 1918-08-04
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT Is DOING

] IN UV1NV
Alabama and Warrior rivers ana OF
the great lakes region, meeting the
business men and shippers.
In connection with conferences. the
EXPERT pointed out three distinct Pc
The period Of boat monopoly. In which
commerce developed only along the
waterways. During this period in
tense indfvfdualisttc endeavor result
ed in costly competition among the
boat lines. but. as no convenient and
storage facilities was built the boats
in many cases fell an easy prey to
railroad competition in the second
era.
(2) Tho period Of railroad develop
ment In this period rapid railroad
greater part Of the nations commerce.
was to be found only along the wa
terways. resulted in a forced fight for
existence between the railroads.
which built convenient and economic
terminal equipment, on the one hand.
better their economic equipment. on
the other. The railroads won. A sec
ond step. which insured the drying
up of boat traffic in many streams.
was the inauguration of a railroad
rate-making system which gave river
towns lower rates than non-river
towns were given.
go The period Of Joint river and
rail transportation. In this period.
which IL now beginning. the use Of
the boats In forced through the neces-
sity of augmenting rail transporta-
requiring movement than there are
facilities for moving It Consequent
ly the original incentive for the es-
tablishment of preferential railroad
rates to river towns is largely elm
mated. Recent rate adjustments at
dency toward the withdrawal of such
preferential rates. In other words.
potential navigation and an occa-
sional boat can no longer be used
merely as clubs with which to force
down railroad rates. In this period
use Of the traffic lines of least re-
sfstance. This means coordination
of all means OF transportation, and
tho building Of terminal storage Ia
cilities with that end in view.
pmcials Of tho Department feel
tirely awake to tho necessity for tho
use of waterways as an adjunct to
the railroads, and arc cooperating
to that end They realize as never
before that. after the war. competi-
tion for foreign markets. will mako
means Of transportation II American
costs Of movement to and from ship
side arc to be reduced to as favora-
BILE q parity as possible with such
costs in Europa.
tk
Sheet mica has como to be an i'm
<hrar~4s ft~ y1aA
as an insulator In electric
Sheet apparatus. especially IN
condensers, magnetos and
mlc1' spark plugs: In the win
dows of masks worn for defense
against asphyxiating gases, and as
transparent, non>inhammable, non
shattertng material. such rs 10 needed
in the windows OF armored cara. In
the coming towers Of warships and
Of submarines and in automobile Cog
gles-
Tho uuantify-of sheet mica produced
and sold In the United States In 1917.
according to experts OF the Uniteo
States geological survey. showed an
increase Of Il per cent over that Solo
in 1916, being 1,216,S16 pounda a
compared with 865.S63 pounds In lS16.
No Information is available to show
vhat quantity Of the domestic sheet
mica produced would be suitable 1or
anv specific purpose, for the stads-
tics include without distinction Gu!
and uncut, clear. slightly spotted ana
stained and heavily spotted ana STAN
ed. as well n punch and wasner IN me-. &,
eight states, which. grouped In the
the order OF quantity produced. are
North Carolina. New Hampshire. VIZ
ginia, South Dakota, Georgia, Aa-
bama. Idaho and Colorado. North Gar
olina produced 4S per cent OF the 20.
second. with 80 per cent 1t u said
by the experts that the large pro
SncInr states hKve done little mofs
than hold their general average-
The prices paid for mica IN 1slI
continued. with minor fluctuations, g
increase throughout the year M M
sonth IN 1871 were from 10 to 20 PEI
cent higher than the prices tor sfmi-
Lar mica In 1916. The greatest In
! creaso wsD In the price OF tne einaAe.
sixee The lArgest sizes showed NJ
increaDe in price.
80
Tho telephone Is tho latest sseney
to be enlisted by the Department OF
Labor for bringing
Phoning for osss. .oss.ns1 .. r.rmers
Farm Labor. and tho labor-sup-
,,yfne facilities Of the United States
employment service
Farmer subscribers on the lines
- .nnrox,mateiy 500 rural telephone
oanpa nfes IN the central west Soon
| W,II he directly connected with .ne
rranch offices and community rep
yesentatiyes Of the federal employ
ment service system II q request .or
their patriotic assistance reSenus !.
made by the Department Of LABOR u
nnmnIisd with by those companies
In a letter addressed to each one tnes
.re beine asked to have their opera
a., tors an farm lines call up their sup
scribers at least once week. aofise
them that. their companies are CO. %.
Si"vment service, and ask II they are
In need Of help.
when a farmer replies in the AZ
| 6rmative, the operator VIII ask tns
number and kind OF workers Wanteo
wages offered and other necessass
details, noting the answers on ens
sneciai farmers application form o.
the employment service: His reQuss'
WIN immediateiy be referred to tha
local offico or representative OF tns
employment service. In the event tna,
there is mono the form thus niIee
tslenhone company to the local post
master or postman for immediate for
I warding to the nearest federal en-
| ployment agency.
Informing farmers Of the fachf
| ties Of the federal employment
servica for his help has been one
"a fha most difficult tasks confront,