The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-09-16

are q gOOQ many reductions in the
force, still these are offset by actual
requirements for additional help,
which supplemented by the usual num-
Der Of jobs doled out as the result of
political pull keeps the number of
federal employees unnecessarily high,
resulting in the usual burden which
the taxpayers must bear.
Raising the prices Of goods on &C
count of the increased freight rates
is a process that doesn't hold water.
According to the statement of one of
the big railroad companies, -four
shipped in car load lots from Mime
apolis to Philadelphia on which the
forty per cen increase is paid, will
amount to SO cents a barrel of 200
pounds. On a 24pound sack of -four
this will be just a little less than four
cents. The increased freight on a
pair of shoes shipped from Boston TO
Philadelphia would amount to six
mills; on a crate of thirty dozen eggs
from Chicago to Philadelphia, 20
cents, or three-fourths of a cent per
dozen: on a bushel Of potatoes from
Exmore, Virginia, to Philadelphia, 5.5
cents. These representative instances
indicate that the dealers who attempt
to raise prices on account of the in
creased freight" are pretty apt to be
found doing an inartistic piece of
~proiteering.
A federal bulletin on the subject of
roads says hat 1888, OOO, 900 is being
spent on main road construction" in
the United States this year. The gov
eminent has apportioned 1886. 750, 900
of its fund On which roads are built
on the $3.50 basis, that is, where one
half is paid by the government and
the balance by the state or local au-
thorities. The new roads will in
crease 1900 miles the total of $4,000
miles of hard-surfaced roads in the
country. In the past four years the
government has spent more money on
its roads than it put into building the
Panama canal.
II tiNSS INV iO"A GA 'N'
been greater progress in road build
ing than in all the previous history
of the country. 1t all goes to show
that joy-riding must be maintained,
and the good roads" which the farm
ers were unable to secure in order
that agriculture might be successful,
are now being laid down as fast as
the cement mixers can get around to
the different places where motorists
and tourists" wish to go.
The issue has been drawn very
sharply in all parts of the country he
tween politicians who claim to serve
the people," and public utilities that
actually are in the business of serving
"the people" A prominent writer,
Floyd w. Parsons, puts it this way:
Let us beware of those politicians
who seek popularity through loudly
protesting that they are 'agin' this
or that proposed adjustment because
they are protectors Of the people.
Most of the public utilities are he peo-
pie, and they have had the poorest
deal that has been handed out to any
line Of business during recent strenu-
Gus times"
Careful estimates reveal the fact
that the public is spending over So
00O, O0O. 900 a year, or $3.50 per family,
for operating and riding in automo-
biles, 81 per cen of which are pas
senger cars. With the road building
and maintenance cost added to the
above, automobiling will likely foot
up as great a sum total to the Ameri-
q can public as the operation of the rail
roads.