The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-07-13
THE TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM

THE TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM
It is reported that highway improve
ment. particularly in some of the.
fact that shipments OF cement have
been tied up by reason of railroad
strikes. This is one more illustration
OF the far extending evil effects of the
interruption of interstate commerce
thru strikes of railroad employees. Be
cause a few railroad employees see fit
to discontinue their work, shipments
of materials Of various kinds are de-
layed and hundreds of thousands of
other workmen who desire to continue
in their usual occupations are forced
into involuntary idleness.
The biggest problem of industry
and business in general today appears
to be transportation. This is a ques-
ton not only of a lowering of morale
among the workers but of a great de-
ficiency in equipment. The govern
ment itself, both by omission and COM
mission, has much to answer for in
this connection tho it must not be
overlooked that the railroads them
selves before the period of federal
control were most dilatory in keeping
up equipment requirements and bet
terments, altho this may have been
due largely to a lack of money.
The Iron Trade Review relates a
story of a brakeman of a passenger
Youngstown who made a little speech
on labor recently to half dozen pas
sengers who were smoking on the sta
ton platform The brakeman OBJ
served to one of the men strolling up
and down the platform that the rail-
road situation was becoming very
serious. The others became interest
ed and stopped to hear what the
brakeman had to say.
This country sure is counting trou-
BILE" he went on to say. THE switch
mems strike tied up things pretty
hard, and now We are all on the point
of striking. The gov rnment hasn't
played fair with u.s. It promised that
II we would remain at work it would
see that the cost of living came down.
1t hasn't kept that promise. So the
fellows are going to show them that
we mean business; we are either go
ing to get more money out of this or
we are going to tie this country in a
knot"
He proceeded to tell some of the
measures taken in certain towns in the
Mahoning valley to keep others from
taking the places of striking switch
men.
IF man comes in down there the
grocers and butchers find they can't
change a dollar for him. He can't
buy food unless he has the right
change and then sometimes he can't
buy it. That's the way they fix him
And you can't blame 'em. Why. a
brakeman on a passenger train on this
road only makes 81 for a ten-hour
day. Believe me, the railroad men in
this country are set to make trouble,
unless the government or the railroad
owners themselves do something
mighty quick
The spectacle of a railroad brake
man making such a speech in public
indicates the temper and the present
state of morale among the nations
railroad workers. Before the govern
ment took over and managed the rail-
roads he would not have expressed
himself like that. That the situation
is well understood is indicated by the
statement of an official who is direct
ing coal transportation on a number
of railroads by direction of the inter-
state commerce commission, who de-
clares that the switchmen's strike has
done more harm to the transportation
facilities of this country and to the
basic industries depending on these IA
cilities than If all of the railroad men
had gone out on strike and we had
had short but sharp clash