Evening star., 1921-06-08
Editorial Digest
Will Rates Drop With wagesl


The twelve per cent cut in rail-
road wages announced by the labor
board is taken by a great many news
papers as q signal to sound the call
for an immediate reduction in rates.
and the subsequent visit of the Pres
ident to the Interstate Commerce
Commission appears as hopeful
omen to many that the demand will
be. answered. Some writer's. however
feel-with the railroad executives
that the wage cut-only half of what
the operators asked-is too small TO
Justify a decrease in transportation
charges. This argument is met py
those who contend that cheap freight
viii mean increased shipping and a
simultaneous return of normal ousl-
ness conditions.
In this connection the Richmond
Times Dispatch (democratic) remarks
that "it is question II the lower
rates. with the increased business they
would bring. would not be far more
profitable than the present high ana
prohibitive rates that are killing the
nations business, retarding construc
ton and keeping thousands OF treishI
cars standing idle on the sid sidings; VS.,
(independenD is largely shared by
the public" as well as the admins
tration, and until an experiment mas
been made" they win not be salts
fed.
That business would be stlm4iatea
by the decrease the Syracuse Herald
independently ia certain ana tnus
!: react favorably on railroad finance
furthermore. the Rochester Times
Union independently adds. II that
proves true. then the railroad work
n n m
thus making the resumption OF ac-
tivity "as OF much Importance 10 th'
men as whole as the wage scale,
Now reduce rates" Is the terse De
mand of the Scranton Times (dem0,
cratic). and the New York World
p citation that this will be done is
amply justified.
Unless the rates are reduced tn
wage cut will of no beneht to Tn:
public. says the Johnstown Democrat
,, (democratie). and the vicious sys
talization will be underwritten, and
in the end the railroads will be as
badly off as they Were in the begin
ming" The New York Herald Nn-
depcndcnD eatima1es that the next
half-year even without national
new face on the whole railroad situa-
tion." but it adds warning that I'm
successive steps wages must get down
much lower. retracing the route by
which they went up. before the great
days of low-cost freight and low-cost
passenger transportation are restored
to the American people"
The Cleveland Plain Dealer inde-
pendent democratic) remarks: Ma
chinery already exists by which rate
adjustments can be made in the case
of commodities that cannot be moved
hao of inv,iv
F: charges. Such reductions should in
| the public interest be made as quickly
, as possible. but no blanket reduction
should now be agitated. larger
net income for the railroads is es-
sential to the maintenance of the
country's transportation system"
The Worcester Telegram (repub-
lican) docs not look for instant ad-
i justment.' If wages and salaries
were the only expense" 1t explains.
this might be accomplished. but it is
the invisible expenses" which carry
on" and these depend. the Spring
field Union trepublican) points out,
"On how far the process of defation
is to run before it reaches what must
be considered normal state OF
things
All that the wage cut will do. says
the Buffalo Commercial indepen-
denD will be to enable the roads Ito
pay cGrrent expenses and leave some-
thing over, but it will not give the
! shipper and traveller hope Of lower
! freight rates and passenger fares"
because lit meets the situation only
! hah way The Providence Journal
independently sees no cause for OBJ
jections on the part of the workers.
since men whose wages have been
advanced from one TO two hundred
per cent assurediy have no reason
to complain of an average reduction
Of only twelve per cent" nor does
it hold out any hope for lower rates
unless the wage question is re-
opened.
Freight rates." the ST. Louis Post
Dispatch dndependent) thinks, must
come dow to figure that the traffic
can bear. President Harding's re
ported insistence upon freight reduc-
ton" does him credit in the eyes of
the Hartford Times (democratic).
which also feels that rates must 20
down with wages.
The New York Tribune (republican)
looks upon the fact that the Presi-
dent is, actively concerned" as the
first step toward insuring the pub
lie once more of the benefits of an
efficient, high class railway service"