Williams news., 1920-08-13

seAoAl codes. The federal government should maintain active sponsorship of this. Rural parents would be lack ing in the element which makes civil ization enduring If they did not desire for their children educational oppor- tunitieS comparable to those in the cities. The price the consumer pays for foodstuffs is no indication of what the producer receives. There are too many turnovers between the two. The farmer raises his crop and the price which he receives is determined by supply and demand. His products in beef and pork and produce, pass into cold storage and ordinarily when they reach the consumer the law of supply and demand does not obtain. The preservation of foodstuffs by cold storage Is a boon to humanity, and 1t should be encouraged. However, the time has come for It's vigilant regula- ton and inasmuch as 1t becomes part of interstate commerce, the re- sponsibility is with the federal govern ment. Supplies are gathered in from the farm in times of plenty. They can easily be fed out to the consumer In such manner as to keep the demand in excess of that part of the supply WHICH IS Eel0dSOu lIOI1 SlOAa6C. AAiS is an unfair practice and should be stopped. Besides, there should be a time limit beyond which perishable foodstuffs should not be stored.
 Our objective should be decreas- ed tenantry With the period of oc- cupancy uncertain, the renter strips land of it's fertile elements, and each year diminishes our national assets. 04 Rnd serve and the farm loan acts, encour- agement has come to thousands who find that industry. character and in- telligence are a golden security to the peoples banker. the government of owners, and you will make the way of the seditious agitator more difficult.
 Railroads and Waterways.
 "Any discussion of the question of food supply leads very quickly to the closely related matter of transporta- ton. There is no one thing which brings us so intermittently to critical conditions than the rnsufficiency of our transportation facilities. Both the railroads and the public are to blame. There has been no material addition to the total mileage in the last ten years. and the increase in terminals has been much less than required. At the beginning of the war the rolling stock was sadly reduced and made Quate. The public had not given in pay for service sufficient revenues on which credit could be allowed by the banks Moral assistance was withheld because of railroad policies that did not bring approval. Many of these corporations had made themselves part of political activities, local, state and national Then there were more or less sporadic instances of stock wa tering operations. and the exploitation of utility properties for personal gain.
 Abuses were not general, but they were sufficient to bring the entire rail- road systems of the country in dis repute The good suffered with the evil When the transportation lines were taken over by the government, they were barely able to limp through the task of the day. Unity in opera ton, the elimination of the long haul. and the merging of every mile of track and terminal and every car and en- zine into a co-ordinated plan of op- eration. enabled the government to transport troops and supplies, at the same time affording, under great stress, a satisfactory outlet, for our industries It should be remembered in this connection that except for the motor truck which supplemented transportation by rail. and except for the great pipe lines which conveyed oil for commercial purposes, we should not. in all probability have al fn dnoi6inp strength into the balance and win the war. Any attempt to discredit the federal operation of railroads during the years of grave emergency is un- fair. In the. case of those who know the facts it is insincere. Too much cannot be said in praise of those who directed this work, nor of the men who physically operated the lines un- der the discouraging conditions of poor equipment. But all of this is water over the wheel. The problem of the railroads is still with us. The government and the public should render every cooperation in the ut most good faith, to give thorough test to private ownership. The railroads have had their lesson. Government regulation is accepted now as not only a safeguard to the public, but as conserving process to the utility. Financial credit is necessary to phy sical rehabilitation and it should be sufficient for the periods of maximum demand. We should not lose sight however, of the vast possibilities of supplementary service by water The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence navi- gation project, particularly, should claim the intnrnSt of th6a
 Federal Reserve System.