The Corpus Christi caller. [volume] (Corpus Christi, Tex.) 1918-1987, 1920-07-12
Monday, July u, 1920.
SAVING OUR PROFITS

If The railroads are to bee per-
mittod go swallow all the normal
profits of The farmer ihc farmer
IS forced TO do something more
than protest NJ the railroads
ore Go get greatly increased rates,
which ihov claim ave necessary,
and zoo addition the people are 60
he compelled Go permit the use of
billions of their money hand
out from the treasury 20 the rail-
roads there viii be occasion for
action that does not base itself
upon demands for 8 difforcn, pol
iry hY the interstate commerce
commission The facts of the coil
into which we have fallen through
iailrood operation of the roads
during the war have been OBJ
scufcd hy many controversies bat
in central assembling are few.
We took over the roads. ran them
ineiflcienily and then turned
them back to private control
Having pat the roads iu bad
shape wc have agreed Go furnish
tie private owners money from
The public purse 20 enable them
go make q profit ON swollen pay.
rolls aud enormously mfoltcd
nominal capital We have our
nctks in moose, with mo- way ap-
parent for removing IL.
With concrete forces pressing
for the railroads and no organized
forces nj work for a scheme which
shall stand for the people we
have plain problem. We must
have transportation We must
have transportation at price
which viii not rob the grower
and the manufactures of profit
at prices now current
II we take the other horn %.
the dilemma we must permit all
prices 10 advance in proportion TO
the added costs of transporta.
lion Iii other words the dollar
will take another drop
" Is safe % presume that the
railroads can see uo way no oper-
ate 40 profit, 10 costs continue To
increase, unless they pass the
added costs and q percentage 10
the consumer -iu the first I'M
stance the man who buys at retail
and further hac, the man who
ships We may as we'll under
stand There viii bee higher rail
rates We face am assured con.
diiion Il Is up 90 us to save our.
,elfc, The railroads are too busy
with their own salvation to take
amy particular thought of AS
Course, open to the grower
and producer are few We may
pay The Increased rates, suffer IN
ratio ~ the increase, erowl about
IL and submit We may submit
while wc must and try and beat
the game another way II is self
evident wc canuo' build q lot of
competing rail lilcs and try and
break The strange hold of cNisl-
ing systems Vet Wc must have
transportation or hc losers M Tho
very hour WHOM our Investments
oi capita. and labor appear to
pfomra rciHrHs
Casting about for transport $40
hatc 'or the present, only land
aud san io consider NJ wc arc ~
transport hy igud we have Inc
highways Wd the true, twain
system admirable iu ihomselyc,
bW uoi SET Of size to meet the
enormous demands of amy pros
porous section II $50 turn rs
watcr-horne transport $50 have
meager facilities ia neither is
There Immediate hops of adequate
service
Under such condition. ihe hope
OF thc future has l mr uuu al
forts io develop natural mcaus of
transport We are bound 10 sui
fc by high rail Rates for several
years iD come Tor a.l time as far
as lower rates are concerned. u
al' probability and $50 must
make haste with development ol
lie other land carriers aud ut
tbc water routes to bring more
speedily the day whcu wc may
measufably get q new and par
italy adequate service, aud by,
at least check the
rates charged by the railroads.
There is nothing gained by as
sorting rail rates are intolerable.
confiscatory and not 20 be borne.
Our protests are not likely 10
have q nnrfinle Of Mninhl Mimi