The Holly chieftain., 1923-06-07

conference wound up Its Chicago ses-
sion with threats to Invoke court
action to compel the interstate COM
merce commission to find the .original
cost" Of the railroads and the public
donations to them
Presidents Of SIX big rail systems.
stirred by the doings Of the LaFol-
lette conference, issued a statement
charging that the radicals do not aim
at fur regulation OF the railways but
seek to cripple private management
and thus to make government owner
ship Inevitable
1.-The railways cannot furnish the
public adequate and satisfactory serv-
Ice" says the statement, unless they
can constantly raise large amounts OF
new capital with which to Increase
the capacity of their equipment and
other facilities. They cannot raise
! the new capital required for these
purposes unless they can earn net
return sufficient to pay reasonable in
terest and dividends upon the existing
investment in railroad properties and
upon additional investment that must
be made.
'sThe net return the railroads are
now allowed to earn is based upon the
tentative valuation made by the inter
state commerce commission. The net
return they will be allowed to earn in
future will be based upon the final
valuation made by the commission.
The proponents of government owner
ship are seeking to get low valua-
tion and a consequent drastic reduc-
tion Of the net return allowed, for the
plain purpose of making 1t impossible
for the railways under private man
agement to raise new capital, enlarge
the capacity Of the properties. and
satisfactorily handle the country's
business"
yXIHILE Governor Smith of New
w York was trying to make up his
mind whether. or not to sign the act
repeating the states prohibition en-
forcement law, Prohibition Commits
sioner Haynes and his aids were busy
preparing lot Of recommendation
for state legislation to be submitted
to the conference of governors In
Washington called by President Hard
ing. Here are some Of those recon-
mendations:
Making the buyer Of bootleg liquor
equally guilty with the seller.
A paddock provision shutting tight
all cabarets and other places where
liquor Is sold or consumed.
Drastic penalties for forging liquor
permits or labels.
Summary removal of state or local
prohibition officials found derelict.
Making 1t a felony to possess or
traffic in apparatus for making home
brew.
Forbidding sale or advertisement of
materials for distilling liquors or
brewing beer.
Substituting penitentiary sentences
for fines in convictions of Migrant law
yiolators.
If President Harding had his way
it's mighty big "if''-the District Of
Columbia would be drier than the
Sahara this week during the Shrine
convention. He wrote personally ask
ing the district commissioners to en-
force the prohibition law strictly and
they promised to do so. There was
no noticeable panic in the ranks of the
Mobiles
G OMETHING like half million
y miners and metal workers in the
Ruhr. who were engaged in a hunger
strike that was fomented by the Com
munists for the forwarding of their
own plans, returned to their work
toward the end of last week because
the government raised their pay so
per cent. The Reds were disappointed
and admitted their main weapon had
been taken out Of their hands. The
rioting which the Communists had
kept going pretty steadily came to an
end when detachmenrs of police from
the Rhineland appeared. The various
municipalities, dlsregardlng the orders !
Of the Berlin government. strengthened
their police forces in accordance with
the regulations drafted by the French
military authorities there two months
ago.
Chancellor Cuno and his advisers
are preparing new reparations offer
and already have found guarantees to
the extent of S275, 100000 annually.
Through the semi-ofticial newspaper,
the Temps, the French government has
let them know what to offer II they
expect acceptance by France. The
tips given Berlin are: The German
government is advised not to mention