The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-04-09
GOVERNMENT CONTROL FARCE.

Nbefved.
GOVERNMENT CONTROL FARCE
1t is said that many good things
Will come from the great world war
and not the least of these will be the
discovery that government ownership
or control is not the panacea of all
evils, as good many people seemed
to think it would be. So far gov
eminent control of business industries
has been a frost and farce.
Government control of railroads
has been such colossal failure that
it ought to convince any one that
business cannot be carried on in the
way our government is conducted
With the railroads in fine condition
and doing the greatest volume of
business in their history, the govern
ment took charge and has pretty
nearly wrecked the railroad business
of the country. Freight and passen-
ger charges were increased to the
limit, wages and salaries increased,
and, with a greater volume of bust
ness than the railroads had ever had
and with higher freight and passen-
ger rates the people of the United
States are required to dig up $780,
OO0,0 900 to keep the railroads out of
bankruptcy. In the meantime the
service, the rolling stock and the
reads have been allowed to go back
ward. Today one pays more for in
ferior service than under the man
Agement of the railroad owners, and
yet the railroads are losing money
ut an alarming rate.
The government took over control
IT the telephone and telegraph sys-
bsms, raised the rates, increased sal
aries and wages and gave the pat
rons inferior service. Before gov
eminent control day message or
night letter could be sent for % cents
where the rate now charged is 35
cents. The rate was increased from
Is to 80 cents when the government
took charge and on April l an addi-
tiOnal charge of five cents was added
to % cent message, making it 35
cents, or 40 per cent increase over
The rates charged under private
ownership and control.
The government took charge of the
grain market That is what the far
mers had been bowling for the gov
eminent to do for many years. To-
IL. .oIx
of government control of the grain
market as people can well get. Be-
fore government control and regula- !
tions a farmer could take his grain I
to a warehouse or elevator, store it,
take receipt and get the cash for
1t. Since the government took con-
troll if the farmer gets his money
in six months he is lucky and we
have heard of instances where more
than year elapsed before the far
mer got his money for his grain. He
could get 60 or rs per cent by pay
ing per cent interest on the money
and then await the leisure
of some swivel chair employe of the
government for the remainder.
The government fixed the price at
s2.20, Portland and other coast points
but no one got within several cents
Of the coast rate less the freight
charges. We know farmers who ac-
:epted $1.65 and SIZE for wheat in
srder to get settlement at all, after
waiting four or five months for their {
money. We opine it will be long, 6
ong time, almanac measure, before t
he people again clamor for govern I
nent ownership or control of public
Utilities. i
Why should farmers object to set a
ing the clocks ahead one hour in the
ummer time? 1t does not necessar- G
y affect the farmers, who generally F
,ork from daylight until dark, any {
ray and pay little attention to the
lock time, going by "sun time" dur
II the working season. But it means P
luch to the workers in the cities and W
WINS. Where the rule is general W
nd all go to work an hour earlier 81
the morning and quit an hour ear is
.r in the evening, it means millions m
dollars worth of gardens will be til
Used which would not be under old SO
nditions. The farmers can still of
Use, go to work, quit and go to bed tn
any hour he deems best. pl
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