The Ward County independent., 1922-07-27
SEN, NORRIS SOLVES
RAILROAD QUESTION

Senator Vi. w. MOTIFS, OIL NeDfdSka
was one of the Is original members
of the farm bloc in the U. S. Senate
and is now member of that bloc
and chairman of the senate commit
tee on agriculture and forestry. II
a recent issue of the Washington
Farmer, the Senator writes the fol-
lowing concerning the railroad prob
lem:
"To the Editor of The Washington
Farmer: | am in receipt of your let
ter of June 22d, in which you ask
my opinion as to whether or not it
would be good policy to permit the
railroads to offer reduced rates upon
the shipment of purebred stock for
breeding purposes.
Your query opens up very inter-
.esting question on transportation To
my mind, it would be good policy for
the country as a whole, for the farm
,ers, and for the railroads, if this re-
duction were permitted under proper
rules and regulations, by the inter-
state commerce commission. We
would, however, have to guard against
any abuse Of the power so granted,
and the reduction ought not be so
low that shipments would take place
at loss.
In much broader sense, l have
been of the opinion for some time
that the cost of transportation on our
railroads is too great and ought to
be reduced on everything. This
must either be done or we must re-
build our entire system of business
and of living. Transportation enters
into the cost of everything that ev-
erybody uses in any way. There is
nothing that we eat but what part
of it's cost is transportation. There
is nothing that we wear but what is
added to by transportation costs. We
ought, therefore, to have a scientific
system Of transportation. The model
system would be to take profit en-
tirely out of it, the same as we do
when we provide for the supplying
of water to the citizens of munich
pality. 1t is something that is of
such universal use that it ought not
to be used as a machine for the max
ing Of money or the building up of
large fortunes.
In our system of privately owned
transportation companies, all kinds of
4ricks have been resorted to in order
to increase the jroft. Fictitious
values, the installation Of water in
the stock, the manipulation of con-
tracts through ring of managers by
which the public is compelled to pay
exorbitant freight charges in order
to enrich the pockets of individuals,
have put upon the shoulders of the
American people a tax that is just
as secure and just as definite as
though it were a tax levied by an act |
of congress or Of legislature. We
are paying interest on water that |
cost nothing when it was originally |
put into the stock.
I think the modern student recog-
nizes that competition in the transport
tation business has long since disap-
peared. The railroads ought to be
combined. The business ought to be |
p monopoly, and when you have gone
that far, you are presented with the
to exist unless it is owned by all the
people-the government. Personal
1y, l believe the railroads ought to be
owned by a governmental corpora
tion, placed by law beyond the power
of politicians to interfere in any way,
either directly or Indirectly, with
their management. But if it is de-
cided that this would be unwise, they
ought at least be under one owner
ship, with strict governmental regu-
lation. The distance between New
York and San Francisco can be short
ened by some 300 miles without the
building of any additional track ex-
cept few switches at transfer points.
BY the building of very small
amount, this distance could be short
ened more than twice that length.
The same thing can be said in prac-
1ically every case when we are meas
uring distances between shipping
,fr NF -.
and distributing centers. A scienti-
thing about. 1t would lessen the cost |
of. transportation very materially.
If the railroads are privately own
ed, every particle of water ought to
be squeezed out. Great economies
could be brought about by avoiding
in through shipments the delay and
the expense incurred in transferring |
at some Of the great shipping centers,
Aike Chicago, St. Louis, etc. In ship
ping from New York to San Francis
co, Portland, Spokane, ST. Louis, or
any other similar points, the freight |
ought not be delayed by shipping it
anto a place like Chicago, and yet, |
s1nder our present system, freight |
thus shipped goes into Chicago, is
transferred two or three times by
switching operations, is delayed sew
eral days and the cost very materially
ancreased.
Our people have, not yct co;.,a,cnc-
ed to realize the Importance of trans
portation, and have not commenced |
to study it on scientific basis. Un-
til they do, we have not mastered the
question of the cost of living. 1t
has more to do with it than any other
one thing" .-
G. w. NORRIS,
United States Senate Chamber,
Washington, D. G.
Crops in Some Sections OF Saskatche-
wan Failure