The sun., 1919-09-06
ELLIOTT DISCUSSES
FREIGHT QUESTION
m letter to Esch Says Effect
of Rates on Final Prices
Is Exaggerated.
COST A PERSON is SMALL
Declares Failure to Give Roads
Living Wage VIII Increase
Living Expenses.
cost A PERSON IS SMALL
ssso.a, pssra.ca % IN, SOS.


wssHIroroN. Sept b.--Chairman Esch
10 ,be House Interstate Commerce Com
vrfttss received to-day letter from
howard Elliott. president Of the North
arm Pacific Railroad Company. on the
relatIcn Of freight rates to the high cost
AZ living and hours Of labor. Mr.. Elliott
xas a recent witness before Mr.. Esch's
committee. In his letter he declares that
ths total amount paid for transporting
fr.ight Of various kinds enters into the
price Of articles consumed. rust as the
COS, of rent, wages, fuel and OF power
does but the total freight bill q year
for an Individual In not largo and the
srsct Of the freight rate on the fnal
price of any article Ii exaggerated For
example, adds Mr.. Elliott. q bushei Of
wheat at 50, a ton Of steel rails at SAT.
q dozen pairs OF shoes at $72, q dozen
eggs at so cents. barrel Of fiour at
SO can berexehanged for far more trans
portation to-day than was the case a
few years ago.
Mr.. Elliott continues: what do peo-
ole do in a crisis that reduces the num-
Der Of working members of a family. a
store, on the farm, In the offise. In the
factory? Those who are left turn in and
work harder than ever before to over
come the difficulty. The world has been
and Is In a crisis and Is short of work.
era For example, at least 100000
men have been eliminated from the
hry fha ov.6
the lniuenza-probably more, but call 1t
100000. What work can that number
Of men dor At ten hours a day II is
l0o,000.000 work hours, or $4,000, 900 900
work hours for a work year Of only $50
days On an eight hour basis II Is SO,-
100000 per day, or 10000. 900 work
hours for a $50 day year. That lost
work must be done. all or part. by those
Of Us who are here or we must have less
and pay more for what we have, and
progress toward better and cheaper
methods win be checked.
Everybody Must Do More.
Now the United States is the one ma
and do more work than ever before to
help out humanity. the world and our
own people. Instead OF doing less york
every strong man oughs to do rs-v> ,as-
til the world crisis has passed. Most
men in good health can work ten hours
day from the age of twenty to fifty.
Where would the development of the
great country west of the Allegheny
Mountains be to-day IL our forefathers
worked eight or six hours day7 They
worked ten and twelve and endured
Eardships that we know little about In
these days of increased comforts and
frv ri nil 4
what this would mean in helping out the
world in its present upset condition.
Assume that there are about 10000. 900
producers in the United States. At eight
bours a day this means 100000, 900
work hours per day and II they work
$50 days the total hours of work in a
year is 10000 100000. II they work
nine hours. the result Is 10000, 900
work hours per day or 67.500. 900, 900
per year of $50 days; II ten hours, 300,-
100000 per day. or $4,000, 100000 work
hours per year. A gain in work hours
per year in the case of nine hours
against eight of 1900. 100000, Of ten
hours against eight OF $4,000. 100000
In this latter case overcoming a sub
stantial part of the loss of work hours
per year, due to the destruction Of
100000 men IN the last few years.
Let US apply this same idea to the
railroad with its 2,250.000 employees.
At eight hours a day there are 1S.009,-
900 work hours and for 500 days, in
the case of the railroad, the annual
work hours are 5,400. 900 at nine
hours, 20,250,00O per day and 6,e75.-
100000 per year; at ten hours. 22.500.-
900 per day and 6.750,00o. 900 per year.
III the railroads could be run on
ten hour basis and the men would
respond to the world call for help. the
b.tO0,eo0.O00 hours of work being done
by 2.250.000 men could be done by
100000. saving Of $50 900 men. II on
a nine hour basis there would be a saw
Ing OF 100000 men. At $1,000 q scar
this means in one case a saviDg Of
NSo,o0o0O0 q year and In tho other
tz5o,ooo,OO0 q year.
Work to he Done I'm United States.
Make the same calculation for the
100000 producers in the United
States On a ten hour basis 5000. 900
men would be released for other work.
On nine hour day 3,333.333 men
would be released.
Think Of the work to be done In the
United Ss'tes that will cheaper the cost
90 1sA1 a