The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1922-08-10
= ot"te fl1t0rlcal Society ~
RAuROADSFAlL
T0SUPPLY CARS
Great eat, Danger th.v Iii. Year. Crop
Will Rot Through Lack of Trans.
T. z, portation Facilities
FARMERS FACING HEAVY LOSS

FARMERS FACING HEAVY LOSS
The Very Life of Our Principal In
dustry It ut Stake
The railroads of the United States
must be curbed quickly. They must
be forced to stop manipulations Of
facts and abandon propaganda poll
cies which have been brazenly prac-
ticed for the last four years.
The ruthless policies of the rail-
roads are tying this nation into econ
omic knots 20 fast that within a few
weeks they will bring agriculture, in
dustry and business Of all kinds to q
dead stop.
Agriculture is in a most serious sit
uation right now. Even though dras-
tic methods were Immediately en-
ployed there will be loss suffered
by the farmers in trying to move the
twelve billion dollar crops now into
the harvest.
Traffic Manager C. B. Hutchings Of
the traffic department Of the Ameri-
can Farm Bureau federation, after
investigation early in June, and be-
fore the strike went into effect, esti-
mated heavy car shortage this fall.
The American Railway association
stated that on June Is there were
332, 2,681 cars needing repairs, 268, ,305
Of (which required heavy repairs.
Since then the strike has paralyzed
construction and repairs Of all kinds.
The association also stated that the
percentage Of cars in bad order on
June was 1879. These same figures
compared with those Of the Interstate
Commerce commission show that there
was a big backward movement Of re-
pairs Of freight equipment from April
to June. This, too, in the face of the
fact that the railroads knew from De-
partment Of Agriculture reports that
the biggest crops Of years would have
to be marketed this fall.
b This policy Of neglect of vital roll
ing stock by the railroads is only in
line with the financial camouAage
showed down the public'a throat by a.
clever bunch Of artists as ever drew
press agents salaries.
In other words, all the hard time"
railroad talk we have heard was cook
ed up in great propaganda depart
ment and served at breakfast, dinner
and supper for the last four years
in fact ever since the government
turned the roads back to the private
owners after the war.
The result Of this is that nine per-
sons out Of ten in the United States
today believe that the railroads are in
terrible plight; that their operating
expenses are enormous-that freight
rates ought to be raised if they are to
make repairs, etc., etc., etc. f.
It isn't true.
The figures as quoted below show
profits Of the leading railroads for
1921. These are their owns figures as
quoted by gentlemen on Wall street
who are offering railroad stock at
what they claim are bargain prices.
The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe has
few gold bonds ready for absorp-
ton. The road operates 11,700 miles
of road. In the year 1921 it cleaned
up profit of $ss, ,es1, ,ee2. Poor little
thing!
The New York Central in the same
year made clean profit Of $22,295,-
686. The Northern Pacific got away
with a profit of $22, ,O65, ,339. No won
der freight rates ought to be raised.
Profits for various railway lines for
the year 1921 are given as follows:
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, $780,
331 ,662; Atlantic Coast Line, $780,
500; New York Central, $22, ,295, ,6s6;
Norfolk & Western s1O,O43, ,1S1; Nor
thern Pacific, $22,965 ,399; Southern
Pacific, $30,618,778; Union Pacific,
$31 ,301 ,075; Chesapeake & Ohio, $4,-
1872 2,601; Chicago & Rock Island, $5,-
780,259; Illinois Central, $1,000, ,794;
Missouri Pacific $3,537,O16.
OF course when we get into intri-
cate railroad bookkeeping we assume
it can be shown that black is white
after the manner Of proving the cat
had ten tails, but, stripped Of all be-
fuddling and specious argument, the
figures as quoted seem to be the out
standing facts told briefly.
The situation right now is SO SER
ious that farmers in many states can
not get coal to thresh wheat-wheat
which after threshing will have to be
piled on the ground, because elevators
and granaries are packed full waiting
-waiting-waiting-waiting for cars.
Write to your congressman and SEN
ator. Let this government know that
the railroads can no longer exploit
this nation while they drive on for In
creased profts-blood money. The
very life Of our principal industry, ag-
riculture; is at stake.
Oscar Edd, local shoe repairer, pur-
chased the Chris Petersen building
Monday, July 81, and moved in last