The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-07-02

ell, Bliss Building, Washington, ID. c..
George p. Hampton, Managing Di.
rector, Benjamin C. Marsh, Secre-
tary and Director of Legislation.)
The Farmers National Council
Reconstruction Program, if fully car
ried into effect will save the farm
ers of America, directly, at least
$3,000,000 0,000-or $75 for every man
woman and child of the 40,000,00C
farmer population. This means saw
ing a farmer family of six, $3.50 ev-
cry year, or more than the money
income of many farm families be-
fore the war The indirect saving
will be much greater.
The Farmers National Council is
the only farmer organization work
ing continuously at the National
Capital to have this entire program
carried out.
Read this program carefully, then
ask the heads of the farm organiza-
tions to which you belong why
your organization is not supporting
the Farmers National Council fully,
both in work and in money.
The Farmers National Council
Program
/. Government Owneship and Dem
ocratic Operation of the Railroads
for Service and not for Profit.
This would save the farmers of
America about 81 100000 year,
directly, and much more indirectly.
The total revenue of the railroads
from freight last year was, in round
figures, $4,000000,000. Last year
farmers paid about $G00,000,000 of
this for transportation of farm prod
ucts-but farmers constitute nearly
40 per cent of the country's popula-
ton, and pay at least 40 per cent
of the entire freight revenues, in
addition to what they pay for car
rying farm products-a total of
l,900000,000 every year.
Under present competitive private
operation railroads must have at
least $2,000,000,000 additional rev.
enue annually. To secure this freight
rates will have to be increased ap-
proximately so per cent. Director
General of Railroads Hines stated
that an increase in freight rates
results in raising the price of the
goods transported at least four or
five times the increase in rates.
This means in plain English, that
the present private operation of the
railroads costs the farmers at least
$3,500,000, 900 more every year, di-
rectly and indirectly, than if gov
ernnent operation were continued.
The direct cost to farmers of the
return Of the railroads-the increased
freight charges farmers must pay
is over $1,000,000, year-$150
for every farmer family of six.
Under unified government owner
ship and democratic operation, rail
roads will be run for service and not
for profit, to encourage and develop
agriculture and all other industry,
and not for private gain.
About two hundred million dollars
year would be saved on interest
charges, four hundred million dollars
now paid in dividends on watered
stock, and four hundred million dol
lars through better purchasing of
supplies, and direct routing-a total
of close to a billion dollars a year
Under government ownership and
operation of railroads the govern
ment can, and should, make up any
deficit in railroad revenues due to
higher operating costs, by taxes upon
the monopoly interests, and neither
passenger nor freight rates need be
increased above the present level.
This is essential to our National
prosperity. Any increase above pres
ent freight rates will severely handi-
cap our agriculture and manufac
turing, when we can least afford
such handicap. Government owner
ship and democratic operation of the
railroads would save the farmers di
rectly at least $1,000,00000 a year.
2. Government Ownership and
Democratic Operation of the Peo-
pies Ships for Service and not for
Profit
This would save the farmers at
least $250,000,000 year.
The American people have put
$3,25O, 100000 into ships which be-
long to the American people. I'm
der the Jones Shipping Bill, passed
by Congress and signed by the
President, these ships, nucleus for
a real peoples merchant marine, are
to be sold to private corporations at
a small part of their cost, and will
inevitably get into the hands of the
American and the British shipping
trusts to which many of them have
already been allocated by the Ship
ping Board Even a conservative
Wall Street paper, Commerce and
Finance" for June 16, 1920, says:
"The Jones Shipping Bill
that will undoubtedly lead to retalia-
tory measures by other maritime ma
tions, is a triumph for the sub
sidy hunters"
Rates on farm products are from
six to sixteen times as high as be-
fore the war, while operating costs
have certainly not increased much
over threefold, if so much. Many
shipping companies have made forty
per cent to several hundred per cent
profit during and since the war, and,
under the Jones Shipping Bill, will
continue to make these profits
since rates will not be regulated after
the ships are sold, as provided in
that bill, and sold at small part
of their cost.
The Secretary of Agriculture in
"The Market Reporter for June 5,
1920, says:
"The export business in agricul-
i