Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1920-03-01
Government Returns Lines,
all.in a bad Condition
and Under Sus-
picion.
SHORTAGE OF PAPER
Twenty-Five Hundred Pa
pers Suspended in Four
Years.
By J. 4. JONES.

Washington, d. c., March 1.-"Ding,"
the famous cartoonist who lives in
Iowa and draws for n New York news
paper pictures that make the whole ma
ton sit up and take notice, had a car
toon the other day. depicting the re-
turn of the railroads to private opera
tion. The scene was laid in village
door yard. At the front door were
standing father and mother, represent
ing the owners of the railroads, and
on the porch were a group of boys who
had dragged into the yard a very bad
ly used toy railroad train. THANK
you for letting us play with this" said
the boys; and one youngster asked
somewhat bashfully: please may we
borrow them again some time"
The railroads that the government
now turns back to the control of own
ing companies after two years Of war
service certainly show the effects of
hard usage, and it is tough job that
has been put up to the managers to
restore the railroads to first class con-
dition.
Some Plain Facts.
Here are some plain facts about the
condition of the railroads as they are
relinquished by the government:
The operating expenses have been
increased by $1,6OO,OOO,OOO year, Of
which more than $1,000, 100000 is in
creased cost Of labor.
The government has provided only
half the required number OF new
freight cars and engines, and no new
passenger cars, so that the owners
must find the wherewithal to buy about
$7OO,OOO,OOO worth of equipment.
The government has been unable TO
maintain the road beds in as good con-
dition as they were when taken over,
and the owners will have to dig around
for probably 3OOOOOOOO new capital
to put the road beds in condition.
7 Two years of political control of
wages and working conditions has UNI
dermined the morale of the 100000
employees, with the resulting lowered
deficiency, and it will probably take sew
eral years to get the working forces
back to normal.
Railroads rates were not increased
sufficiently by the government to meet
the great increase in operating costs,
and a further considerable increase in
rates will be necessary to make the
roads self-sustaining. The govern
ment has passed this buck to the
private companies.
Manned and Crippled.
The railroads return from the war
manned and crippled, physically and
financially, but, fortunately for the
commerce of the country that is SO
vitality dependent upon sound railroads,
congress, after some months of pains
taking labor, has provided in the new
railroad law, means Of bringing the
railroads back to a state Of efficiency.
without tile protection of this law.
there would undoubtedly have been
widespread railroad disaster, with
bankruptcy and heavy losses to inves-
tors and the general business OF the
country.
Not an Ideal Law.
The new railroad law is not ideal.
No laws ever are. But it is an honest
effort on the part Of congress to pro-
vide sound basis for the future dr.
velOpment of our railroads. 1t makes
it mandatory for the interstate COM
merce commission to provide level of
rates that will provide flor the greatly
increased payrOlls and the higher costs
of materials. How much this increase
in rates will Dc has not been de-
termined, but it is believed tlmt there
will be an average increase in freight
rates Of something like % per cent.
Interstate Commerce Commission.
Greater responsibility than ever has
been placed on the interstate commerce
commission by the new railroad law.
The salaries of the members of tlie
commission are increased to $4,000 a
year, and the membership is increased
from nine to eleven. AS there Is al.
ready a vacancy on the commission,
President Wilson will have to appoint
three new, members. A former member
of the commission, Judge c. A. Prou-
ty, now head of the valuation bureau
of the commission, recently said that
the whole future of the railroads now
rested with the commission. because
of its great power over the carriers.
There is great interest. therefore, in
the appointments the president must
soon make on the commission. If these
new members are broad-visioned. cour-
ageous administrators. the building OF
railroads will he encouraged and CAPT