The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-06-02
CABINET DEEP IN
RAILWAY PROBLEM
PRESIDENT HAS GIVEN MATTER
EXHAUSTIVE STUDY AND
WILL OFFER SOLUTION. e
LONG DEBATE MAY FOLLOW
All Agree That Freight Rates Are Too
High, and Railroad Executives De.
clare That Wages Also Must BE Re.
duced. l.@. r
BY EDWARD 8. CLARK.

Washington.-At this time the Presi.
dents cabinet is giving serious consid.
,eratfon to railroad matters. Transpor.
ltation seems to loom large as one of
the vital problems of the day.
4 Recently the President has been con-
ferring with members of the railway
labor board. Everybody knows that
the question of wages is the one which
us being pressed for answer. The rail.
road arrangements declare that there
can be no hope of railroad prosperity
unless wages in some places shall be
decreased. The labor men charge that
the railroads are not being econom.
icaily managed; that money can be
saved In many ways, and that there Is
mo necessity today Of lowering the
wage rate. '5 ~ f 81. #.s%sf
(. IT seems to be the feeling in Wash.
lington that when congress undertakes
Legislation on railroad matters the dis
Icussion will be long continued. taking
probably as much time in the house as
ttarih discussion. Unauestionably there
are men who take part in the present
controversy who desire government
ownership. There are also men who.
while not wanting government owner
ship. want government supervision to
such an extent that it will amount vir-
tualiy to government control. Then
there are men friendly to private OWL
ershlp who say that if costs can be nd
justed. and the railroad arrangements
can be given free hand. prosperity
will return. 7 ~@ .s>s@~:. =. -
President Harding has made it evil
dent that for time at least he does
not intend to confer with the railway
executives, but will limit his discus
ssions temporarily to the chiefs Of the
various bureaus of the government.
Later on 1t is known that the Presi-
dent will ask the opinions Of the big
railway men of the country.
Freight Rates Must Come Down.
] 1t is virtually admitted here by the
government officials who have given
the matter consideration that the ex.
listing freight rates cannot continue
1T is charged that it is more costly to
ship farm produce from farming sec
!tions to the cities of the East than 1t
is to ship to foreign ports. Il, IT,; :. =.
OF course there is something entirely
wrong with the whole matter and the
members Of the cabinet, and the ,T'resi-
dent with them, realize 1t. All the cab
met officers intimate that what they
desire is to get the whole truth II they
can. After the truth has been found
they believe that they can frame some
Kind of policy for rate adjustment
TINT will not cause injury to general
business, nor to the people as a whole
Congress always has been afraid of
the railroad question. Politics enters
Into 1t to an unusual degree. 1t is said
that there We're many members of the
lower house of congress who voted for
n law a few years ago in which none
of them believed, and voted for 1t be-
cause they feared that certain part
OF their constituencies, holding the bal
tanee Of power, would defeat them for
reelection If they had voted in reverse.
1t is rather a hard thing to intimate
that some congressman are moved by
their fears rather than by their con-
yictions, but the charge Is made so
frequently that there seems to be
something back of it, and when one
analyses some of the votes in house
and senate with view to the sections
of the country represented by the vot-
ters, the charge seems to have somo
& truth back of it. = . ,Es
\; Wage Scale the Hardest Problem.
The biggest question today, Of course,
IS that Of the change in the wage scale
If wages are reduced a strike is feared
and If they are not reduced the con-
:tinuance of high freight and passenger
rates is feared, and If some of the rail-
road managers tell the truth. bank.
truptcy of the railroads is feared. The
cabinet is concerned over all these
Questions. s" -a#5Ft ="... sl
The President eventually will make
his recommendations to congress on
this great railroad subject. He has been
studying the thing personally ever
since he was elected. He has had advice
from all quarters. He has read, it Is
said, all that the railroad managers
have to say. all that the shippers have
to say, and all that the wage earners
have to say. He has barrelful of infor
imation and his problem now is to aver
age the contents of the barrel, make
allowance for overstatements and un.
,derstatements, for prejudlces and per.
.haps for some actual untruths. Then
he will act in the way of RECOMMENDED.
ltion, and of course the hope of the
business and the labor world is TINT
The will act in a way to bring peace,
land with it prosperity, in the transpor-
station world. 100. II.
u Quick Work for Soldier Relief. i
President Harding's committee into
Whose hands has been given the duty
lof speeding up the work of relief for
1.-The wounded, and sick soldiers of the
United States, has held Its first meet.
Kings. =:s
It lis possible for your correspond.
lent to give in detail the intentions Of
fsT-l- N1T1 N nI0 HiEISN TIY An