Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1919-03-05
1--WE All Know Poor D1bs"
N ~ % % % a desperate ~~% ~%% Wood % ~
Germany The Sign Feelings Between

eliminate complications in rate
schedules, and provide means of
making communities benefiting by cx-
tensions pay for them.'
This plan, which seems so full OF
promise to its sponsors, was drawn
up by the four big railroad Brother
hoods-engineers, tiremen, conduc.
tors, and brakemen-and has been in
dorscd by the ten railway laborunions
affiliated with the American Fedora
ton of Labor. The idea, we gather
from the Washington dispatches, is
that the Government buy the rail
roads. If it paid for them at the
$4,000, 100000 book valuation, the
annual interest charge a. five pc.
cent would be $900,000,000, approx
mately what is now being paid as
annual rental for the use of the lines
If it paid only the $4,000, 100000
which the spokesmen of the Brother
hood consider fairer figure, an op-
Grating income of $685., ,000-thc
1918 fgure-would mean a consider
able profit with interest charges at
5000, 100000. But with either al
rangemcnt these practical railroad
men think they could run the roads at
a profit. They would have half of the
profits 90 into the National Treasury
and the other half divided among Off
cials and employees on pro-rata ba-
sis; any deficit would be met by in
creasing rates, or would be made up
by the Government. They would
have the roads operated as one sys-
tenn by an operating corporation,
which would hold in trust a revolving
fund of 100000 for working cap
ital, to be administered by Board Of
Directors representing officials, en-
ployces, and the public.
The fundamental argument for this
plan is that the wages paid to rail-
road labor are now G00,000,000 4
year, whereas interest and dividends
paid to security-owners arc only
500 100000. The railroad workers
assert. therefore, that since labo|s
interest in the railroad budget is sew
eral times greater than capitals, labor
has more right to demand control.
1t seems to the New York Globe
that "the experiment OF managing the
railroads an huge cooperative basis
by the skilled men who work them
would be we'll worth trying" The
Globe feels certain that competent
managers could be found in the work
ers' ranks, and concludes that eff OPP
Grafton and ownership were joined
and the benefits of savings accrued to
the operators, many savings would be
made"
But the New York Times finds
what it considers a strong argument
against the plan in it's being mot re-
sponsible. That is, "it is not accom-
panied with any engagement on the
part of labor that it would invest its
life and toll in the enterprise" that
it would "stand by the railways
through stress and storm as capital
investment must and is doing" Unless
labor is willing to do this, the propos-
al that it should be allowed to oper-
ate the railroads must be taken, The
Times concludes, "as an example Of
psychopathic conflagration rather
than as business plan"
The press of the country will nat
urally take sides in the matter, but
if the railroad men do this thing, it
ought to be a pretty good illustration
of whether sane American socialism
will work out in a practical way. The
railroad situation couldn't be much
worse than it appears at present.
1t might be good thing to let the
railroad men try tiff they'll agree
to pay the piper if they cannot!