Evening star., 1922-10-08

~ admitted In legislative and OF
~ fetal circles that when Con-
grAss reassembles the admin
istration will urge the passage OF the
ship subsidy bill, members OF Con-
gress, government officials and busi-
ness leaders realize that the ship SUD-
sidy is but a nibble at one corner OF
the biggest problem before this coun-
try today. The real problem at the
basis of all the industrial! ills and the
very root of the high cost of living Is
that of distribution and transporta-
tion. To this problem the best minds
anu experience and influence in the
whole nation VIII be directed, with a
view to getting a more economic ad-
justment.
Secretary HooveS. with his wartime
insight into the industrial tansles OF
this country, had this problem fore
most in his mind when he accepted
the cabinet office of Secretary of Com
merce. His experience during the
coal ana railroad strikes has still fur-
ther Impressed upon him the tremen-
dous importance of reaching a solu-
ton at the earliest possible date,
and he has gradually been strengthen
ing his leadership and the confidence
of industry in his leadership. so that
there may be the fullest possible CO.
operation in reform movement on
strong economic, business principles.
secretary Hoover is looked to now by
members of Congress and by the prac-
tfcal business economists as the one
man best fitted to lead this drive
All Homes Concerned.
1His is not political but a business
problem, affecting every home In the
country There is no sectionalism or
bloc interest behind the drive. IT Is
for the common interest of all the
people The cotton growers OF the
south and the citrus growers OF SIX
states have felt the pinch because IL
cost so tremendously to get their
crops to market The same condi-
tion in the coal industry has brought
the miners and the mine owners INTO
conflict, with the consumers recurrent-
ly anxious over the coal supply ana
forced to pay eHtravagant prices'
while the mine workers have only
seasonal employment and all industry
fearful of a coal famine which Will
throw hundreds of thousands OF per-
sons out of work.
Lower Freight RateF.
Senator Arthur Capper u Kansas
has served notice that ths farmer
after long-continued endurance
contest more drastic than any other
economic crisis in our history. has
reached his economic last ditch. and
that freight rates must come down.
As leader of the farm bloc he has
served notice that when Congress
comes back the bloc will urge the
repeal of the so-called rate-making
clause in the Esch-Cummins railroad
act. Representative Sydney Ander-
son. chairman of the joint congress
sional commission on agricultural in
auiry, after the most searching ard
comprehensive study of the economic
situation ever made in this country
has reported that the wide spread in
prices between what the farmer re-
ceives for his crop and the consumer
pays is largely due to transportation
costs.
Take another illustrations: Tho
newspaper today is the very heart of
public life. Without the newspaper
keeping US in touch with the rest OF
the world we would all be restricted
tc our own small neighborhood. Yet
stress has been laid in Congress and
by tho Department Of Commerce and
by the Department of Agriculture
that the newspapers are being forced
through lack of reforestation to go
to Canada for wood pulp and print
paper supplies. We have tremendous
forests in the great northwest, where
there 10 also cheap water power for
mills, but the prohibitive costs Of
transportation menace our great in
dustries and mako us wonder what
life would be without newspapers.
So Gotten, coal and agricultural
products ana print paper are mere
Illustrations of how the problem of
distribution and transportation hits
every Individual citizen and is tho
biggest of ell public problems today.
Secretary Hoover of the Department
of Commerce, Secretary Wallace Of
tho Department Of Agriculture. Secre-
tary Davis of the Department Of
labor-these three will be sufficient
witness-have directed the attention
Of tho public to this problem in
speeches before great organizations.
Their public utterances. coupled with
President Harding's message to Con-
gress on the industrial situation, en-
phasize that the present administra-
tion(realizes the gravity Of the situ-
alton and is seeking to concentrate
the best thought of the country to-
ward q solution-not in the interest