The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1921-08-16
CUT FREIGHT RATES

lea, under the caption Freight rates
! are too High in Proportion to the
i price of Products says:
when cotton was selling at forty
cents per pound and pig iron at SAC
/ton, the freight rates which were
adopted last year gave promise OF
being bearable by the business in
terests of the country. But when
when prices began to decline The
Manufacturers Record repeatedly
| said that it was impossible without
/ ruination to business to continue a
freight rate on 10 cent cotton, and
other things in proportion, which
would have been destructive when
prices were two to four times as high
as they are now.
| I'VE believe in living price for
the railroads for their work, as we
believe in living wage to labor and
living price to farmers, but we are
compelled to recognize that the CON
tinuation of the present freight rates
| is inequitabe and is destructive to
business. The railroad people insist
that they cannot get along on lower
freight rate, but the farmer cannot
get along en- 10 cent tton which
costs him 30 cents to produce, nor
can Other industries get along ex-
| ce pit at loss, on prices far below
| the cost Of production. There must
be scaling down. which has already
taken place in many lines of industry
but that is only the smaller side Of
| the case Lower freight rates would
mean more railroad business, and
thus give the roads a. volume Of bus
mess to Offset the lower rates"
| In this connection the Manufacture
ers Record quotes one of the leading
steel manufacturers of the country as
saying that he could easily under.
stand the reastns why the poyerts OF
/, the f3rmers has led to the poverty OF
business. "The farmers said he,
buy about AS per cent of all the pro
ducts of the country and furnish 40
per cent of it's transportation direct
| ly and indirectly" 1.-THE prices of all
the things the farmer produces has
been verysmaterially reduced. Wheat,
lfor instance. which was selling for
$3.50 per bushel, closed yesterday at
$1.19 IL delivered in Chicago. A bale
of cotton which was worth $3.50 Is
now selling for less than $50; and the
railroads are charging for the trans.
portation % these products from 36
| to so per, cent more than they charg
ed prior To September 1st of last
year. Besides, all the things that the
farmer buys are still being sold at
considerably higher retail price than
he receives for his products
The position OF the Manufacturers
| Record Is sound and unansweratle.
There must be substantial reduc'
ton In the freight and passenger ra-
ties of the country before a return to
settled conditions and prosperity Is
possible. Exorbitant and inequitable
transportation rates are In a large
measure the chief root of our present
troubles.
The high freight rate increases the
cost OF everything the farmer has e
buy. and at the same time they re
duce the net income on everything
he has to SELL farmer can not pay
as much for transportation of ship
ment new worth $3.50 as he could pay
| for a shipment OF the same products
when they sold for $1,000. and that
is exactly what he Is having TO de
now. putting the increased freight
tariffs and the reduced cost of prod
uots together
The remedy, concur all authorities
Is a reduction in the price of railroad
labor. On this subject former Sena
ter Bailey. OF Texas, says in the Dem
ocratic Review:
i Railroad managers must have the
wisdom and the courage TO reducS
the wages Of their employees in or
der that they may reduce their char
ges against the public. II they woult
announce that decision tomorrow. CIV
cry man In the country, outside chs
unions. would approve OF Il: and l
tho unicns were to contest II, tbs
railroads would have such an advan
tagc over them In public sentimen
that the result would never be doubt
cd for a moment Radical union lead
ers might urge resistanoe: bat II th'
Unions proceeded to an extremity II
resisting decision SO obviously
just. they would suffer crushing de
feat
] II Il pointed out by another Hthor
'lav thst the farm laborer Is Svorkinl
for IS cents and sioo day and prs
ducing stun With which to buy othe