The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-09-17
THE PROTESTS
ARE TOOLATE
Bales of kilograms and Letters
Coming to the |. {. {.

Private railroad managers seem to
think the public should accept the
new 6 per cent guaranteed dividend
rates without even a frown. SO that
! the public may be fed with soothing
syrup, the Association of Railway
Executives is publishing a weekly
fourpage paper under the title
! American Railroads. The last issue
quotes President Willard, of the Bal
timore & Ohio, as saying that "the
rate increases will bring renewed ac-
tivity in the development of railroads
and instead of tending to increase
the cost of living, will have just the
opposite effect" In first-page
spread article the paper declares that
! freight rates will be REFLECTED very
lightly in the retail prices of neces-
sary commodities"
Strange to say shippers and con-
sumers refuse to swallow this sugar
coated pill. An average of at least
one thousand protests per day are
being registered with the Interstate
Commerce Commission in Washing
ton. Bales of kilograms and letters
are now on file in the Traffic Blu
physically impossible for the COM
mission to even read more than a
very small portion of these protests.
AS a matter of fact the hands of
the commission are tied 1t is now
too late to file protests. They should
have been registered with members
of the Senate and House when the
Cummins-Esch bill was under con-
sideration.
Piling Up "Surcharges'
That the railroads are not content
even with the high rates awarded by
the Interstate Commerce Commission
is disclosed in a telegram of protest
forwarded to the Comission last
week from Jacksonville. Fla, by NJ.
J. McLauren, president of the South
ern Wholesale Grocers' Association
The telegram has not been published
in any other paper.
Labor quotes it in full as follows:
We are just in receipt of supple
ment to freight tariffs published by
I. A. Leland. agent for the railroads,
applying to and from points in Ar
kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Okla
homa, Texas and defined territories,
materially increasing rates, effective
September ,, on important food ar
ticies-namely, candy, confectionery,
bakery goods, baking powder, canned
goods, cheese, coffee, teas, spices,
fruits and vegetables, food prepara-
tions, buckwheat and pancake flour,
dried beans, peas, sugar, molasses,
Syrups, macaroni and vinegar.
These advances, which are in adj
dition to those recently granted rail
roads by the Commission, are made
by cancellation of existing commodity
rates and prescribing class rates for
the future.
Says It's Unwarranted
"The Southern Wholesale Grocers'
Association, in the interest of its
members in western, southern and Of
fetal classification territories, sub
mits that in consideration of exceed
ingly large increases in all rates,
fares and charges granted by the
Commission, the additional rate in
creases herein referred to are unjust
and unWarranted, and we hereby pro-
test to these increased rates becoming
effective and respectfully petition
the Commission to exercise authority
granted in the new transportation act
and suspend, pending investigation,
the supplements to tariffs hereinbe-
fore named insofar as they prescribe
increased rates on food articles"
Farmers Not Pleased
Neither are the farmers taking the
rail privateers' soothing syrup with
good grace. Benjamin C. Marsh, sec
rotary and director of the Farmers
National Council, issued a statement
this week in which he declared that
the new rates secured under the
Cummins-Esch law will Saddle upon
the American people annually bur-
den of at least $6,500,0 100000, equal
to nearly one-third of the maximum
indemnity there is any possibility
that the Allies will be able to ex-
tract from Germany" And then he
asks this question:: What have the
patriotic farmers and other workers
of America done to deserve an an
nual fine equal to one-third of the
total maximum indemnity which can
be collected from Germany"
The public has not begun to feel
the full effect of the new rates as
yet. But already reports are coming
in that retail dealers in essential are
boosting prices and saying that it is
due to increased railroad rates. 1t is
only natural that when Congress au-
thorized private railroads to profiteer,
that smaller commercial concerns
would feel privileged to adopt the
same tactics.
The Cummins- Esch law and the re-
sultant high rail tariffs to guarantee
dividends to private interests are
making thousands of converts every
day to the Plumb Plan for govern
ment ownership and democratic OPP
GRAFTON of the roads