Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-12-12
OPPOSES PLUMB
RAILROAD PLAN
Former Rusk Co. Man Declares
Scheme Would Increase
Rather Than Reduce
III. C.. of l..

p. NJ Apker. cashier of the Chetel
State Banw. and formerly one of Rusl
cOuntys most indefatigable hustler
while located at Weyerhaeuser, is no
lmuch enthused over the Plumb plan a.
| a proposition to benefit the people O
the country as a whole He writes til,
News-Budget as follows:
Editor News-Budget,
Ladysmith Wis.
Chetek, Wis, Dee. 8. 1919
Dear Sir: In your issue of Decem
ber 9TH. / notice an article headed
Farmer Urges Plumb Railroad Plan.
written by A. A. Hadden, and wherein
the author states that he believes this
plan, if put into operation, would re
duce the high cost of living by cutting
down freight rates. Any plan that viii
reduce the high cost Of living is com
mendahle, if practical, but | fail to sec
where this sOcialistic propaganda will
work out as anything but detriment
to the ultimate consumer.
Mr. Hadden states that railroad EN-
plOyes are in class by themselves
We will grant this, for if we take a
comparative average for the last five
or ten year period. we will find them
the highest paid class of lahorers in
the country.
l make the statement without fear
of successful contradiction, that with
any increase i'll wages. no matter
whether it be railroad men or hired
men on the farm. just so much in pro-
portion will the cost OF living increase.
and / fail to see why it makes any diff
ference where the man is working,
just. SO long as he is in the producing
class or any other class whose earn
ings must come out of the consumer.
The laborer demands higher wages
and lower prices. The farmer demands
lower wages and higher prices. The
thinking man knows that in either
case. without one. we cannot have the
other. The railway employees demand
government ownership of railroads SO
they may receive higher wages. Mr..
L
ernment ownership so we may obtain
lower freight rates. Someone's social
istic tendencies have carried them off
their feet.
The railroad is commonly cOnsid-
cred public utility because it trans
ports the produce raised ON the farm,
which is the source where practically
all our living originates. Then if taxes
increase on the farm. if cost of hired
help on the farm does the same, the
value of the farm, and the stock and
the machinery thereon does the same.
surely the selling value of the produce
raised thereon must increase in pro-
portion or the farmer operates at a
loss.
Why then should we call the rail
road a public utility because they
transport these products, and not put
the producing farmer in the same
class? Why should we propose turn
ing the railroad over to inefficient gov
ernment control and not turn over the
farms as well? In the minds of any
ment raised in favor of the government
taking over the railroads, that does
not include the telegraph and tele-
phone, the mines. mills. factories and
farms as WELL and | would like to ask
Mr.. Hadden if he thinks under our
present form of electoral government,
we can hope to elect busines managers
for the railroads, who will be one-half
as efficient as men who have trained
for a lifetime to fill these certain man
agement positions.
Mr. Hadden states that under the
present form of government control.
the stockholders in the railroad are
guaranteed a dividend on their invest
ment. including seventeen millions of
water stock, by which they realize
better returns than ever before. If
we are paying the owners of the rail
roads larger returns than ever before
received. and including payment on
their mythical watered stock, is it not
best that we hasten their return to
their owners and save the excess diyi-
dends we are paying and at the same
time get them back under efficient man
agement so the public will get the
same old good service we got before
government control reduced the eff
cheney of such service to us? If you
are interested in a remedy for this
high cost of living. better look into this
Plumb plan a little and write your
hired men down at Washington to has
ten the delivery of the railroads back
to their rightful owners. who. without
doubt. under an efficient business man
agement. can run the railroads Sc
economically that it will result in ma
terially reducing freight rates.
Yours very truly.
Il. NJ. APKER,
- IA iDy