Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-10-11
EMIL p. ALBRIGHT
On the Problem of Unemploymen Mt

THE matter of unemployment on a large
scale throughout the country is seri
Gus one. according to Emil =. Albrecht,
president of tn" Philadelphia Bourse, but
1t is one which may be soivcd satisfactorily
1.-The unemployment situation is not a
local problem, but a national one said
Mr.. Albrecht. Local efforts may anchor
ate the situation to some degree, but they
cannot effect real cure.
The one iufallible remedy lies in the
removing Of the fundamental cause Of the
unemployment, and this can be effected only
by Federal action with regard to what
Cull the three T's-transpOrtatiOn, taxa
tiUn and tariff. 1t presents Il practical
problem and it must be handled in n praC-
rical way by practical men. II is worse
than useless to theorizr on n basis of
ulopian ideas.
Has Three Remedies
'"rhe remedy, aS ! see it, is to be found
IN these things:
"FIrst, the placing OF the railroads on a
firm footing The primary step in this
would be the funding by the Government
Of the debt incurred during the control Of
the Federal Railroad Administration for the
capital amount and not insisting upon It's
being paid out Of current receipts. Next
the repeal of the AdamSon act Of 1916 which
was forced through Congress, not by labor
the so-called national agreements which
were not agreements at all, but were forced
upou the railroads by the labor leaders and
last, the amendment of the Transportation
Act of 1920, so that the railroads shall not
be subject 10 dual control mot always work
ing in harmony Of the Railroad Labor
Board on one hand, which presCribes dis
bursenents, such as the rates of wages,
working conditions. ct C"tera, aud the In
tprstate Commerce Commission fixing pas
senger and freight rates, which constitute
the income Of the roads
Tariff Act Needed
THE second great step would be the
prompt enactment of proper protective
tariff act, using during the time In which the
present foreign exchange conditions con-
tinue the American valuation Of Imports
as the basis for ad valorem customs duties.
"The third step Is the enactment of plan
of Federal taxation that will encourage
capital 70 seek investment in business chan
nes instead of being boarded as nt present
in tax free securities.
"Of these three things the rehabilitation
OF the railroads Is the most far reaching
Put them In a position to manage their
own properties without interference In petty
details; give them the right and the oppor
tunity to deal with their own employees as
20 wages and working conditions; permit
them TO operate in a businCsslike name.
auy given piece Of work; permit them tc
use current receipts for current expenses
Do these things and they will be able tC
reduce freight rates and stimulate shipments
thus helping farmers, manufacturers and
consumers.
Railroads Huge Purchasers
"This plan will help them increase their
net earnings so that maintenance work may
he carried on and the purchases of supplies OF
all kinds may be resumed. In normal times
according to a recent statement Of the Rail
ways Business Committee, 40 per cent of the
purchases Of the country, outside Of living
Commodities are made by the railroads
Rring these conditions back to normal ant
you will see thousands Of men constantly
| emDIoyed who are now idle.
HAs long as the provisions Of the Adam
son act stand and the so called nationA
| agreements are in force, the railroads can,
| not be operated as efficiently as they should
| he Therefore, the sooner the railroads ar,
| freed from interference and restriCtNn-but
| subject to such reasonable regulation as that
| ~ the Interstate Commerce Commission n,
| viii hermit the body which controls the re
| ceipts to control the wage outlays-th,
| sooner will the railroads show earning,
| which will attract new capital to permit
| Of extensions and improvements, which iI
turn will give employment to thousands ir
every field of endeavor.
Why Tariff Is Needed
"As to the necessity for Immediate ta riff
| legislation, j think that no one who /,
familiar with our national Industrial con
ationS and particularly those OF our owr