The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-07-08


plants of the United States have an
estimated total Of 100000 horse
power The potential horsepower
available on sites controlled by the
government and which will be avail
able under the new law are estimated
/ at 45,000000 horsepower. Water
powr rights on all public lands, forest
/ reservations, Indian reservations and
navigable streams may be leased for
a period of fifty years, with privileges
at the expiration of that date that
will serve to preserve the original in
vestment. 1t is expected that immense
capital will now flow into the develop
ment of the water powers. Where
water power is used, steam will be
saved - and steam means coal; coal
means greater burdens for the rail
roads. In short water power is an in
eXhaustble resource, whereas, power
manufactured from coal or oil Is
created at the expense of our natural
resources, which have been diminish
ing at such an alarming extent in re-
cent years as TO cause great concern.
The log rolling that goes on in
Washington when a new tariff bill is
in process has been likened to. the re-
| adjustment of railroad sfreight and
passenger rates. For several weeks
the great business interests have been
giving their views on this question to
the interstate commerce commission,
and that body has patiently listened to
the farmers, the cement manufact-
urers, coal producers, lumbermen, and
other national units, and the trend of
their arguments has been Identical
Just as manufacturers and producers
advocating a protective tariff always
look for a little the best of it" for
their own products: or if advocating a
| tariff for revenue only, single out
their own enterprise for favored high
tariff rate, so have the different busi-
ness interests Of the country unani-
mously consented and approved of
higher transportation charges, but
usually with the prOviSo that their
own properties shall be favored The
western lumbermen laid great empha-
sis upon their own need for rates that
would allow them to make the "long
haul" and deliver their products three
thousand miles away at about the
same freight rates to be paid by the
southern lumbermen. But these south
ern lumbermen have asked that the
freight increases be made upon the
basis of straight percentage increases.
tfOr straight percentage increases. The
results are obvious Naturally the man
nearest to the market wants definite
rates of so much per mile, while the
the government to compel the rail-
roads to rebate enough of his freight
charges so that he may meet his COM
petitors more easily on their own
ground. The situation with regard
to lumber has been duplicated in the
other industries.
In the "reincarnation" and "recon-
struction" of railroading during the
past fifteen or twenty years the whole
trend of the situation is to adjust
rates at 80 much per mile" Every
attempt to secure preferential rates
meets with official discouragement,
for the echo of historic rebates" or
anything like them, are unpleasant
sounds. The policy of the interstate
commerce commission has for years
been to compel shippers to pay at
whatever rate is imposed on a basis
that is the same for everybody.
Since everyone is agreed that the
roads must have more money to keep
going, the question only seems to hinge
on the amount of the increases. 1t
therefore seems comparatively easy
to forecast the action Of the commits
sion with respect to increasing rates.
The railroads are asking for an aver
age increase on freight rates OF about
2S per cent, and the disposition Of the
There is, however, considerable Ques-
ton as to how these increased rates
will be distributed in various parts OF
the country. so as to even up the rail-
road finances and make the various
roads. self-sustaining.
Since General Pershing returned
from the World war he has been put
ting in his time looking over the war
plants used in the industry, and in
suffering the agonies incident to being
social lion in Washington. General
Pershing has found most Of these ir.
stitutions that were built in "few
days and nights in order to make
winning the war simpler, in state of
collapse. In many instances most of
the workmen are gone and the only
thing left at the plants were interest
ed promoters who provided banQuets
and sought to impress General Perish
ing with the thought that the govern
ment should run these institutions at
loss in the interests of prepared
ness"-not to mention the interests of
all the promoters who discovered