Milford chronicle., 1946-06-28
NO SLEIGHT OF HAND manipulation


can conceal from the public the impact OF
rising costs in the railroad industry. Unlike
most industries, every phase OF railroad OPP
GRAFTON is subject to approval OF regulatory
bodies Moreover, when the railroad indus
try is hurt financially the whole country Is
hurt If it is hurt to the point Of government
operation the drain on the taxpayer becomes
staggering as the last war showed. Uhdef
government ownership the public treasury
becomes a contributor rather than 4 cOcc-
tor.
The railroads have petitiOned the Inter
state Commerce Commission for a twenty
five per cent general rate increase to offset
a thirty or forty per cent rise IN wages, ma
terials, and supplies. This adjustment in
rates has become imperative due to drop
in traffic volume from abnormal wartime
peaks.
The protest from the OPA that freight
rate increase would be inhatiOnary, was to
be expected and should be diSregarded-lt
did not protest the wage increases that make
the rate increases necessary. AS the wash
ington Post observes, "delay in granting re-
lief would be greater evil than upward adj
iustmentS in commodity ceiling prices made
necessary by higher freight charges. Long
and painful experience with bankrupt rail-
roads has taught us that the perpetuatiOn of
an efficient system of railway transportation
under private ownership and management is
contingent upon allowing the roads sufficient
income to yield reasonable returns on invest
ed capital. The alternative to rate charges
that permit the roads to operate as going con-
Germs is government ownership, with tax
payers financing deficits or government sub
sides to supplement inadequate revenues,
with taxpayers again meeting the Dill.
~~e&~
ECONOMY MINDED congressman have
,fifN,,c fnt cS,tl.D Cn1
of Federal electric power projects. A bal
anced Federal budget has become far more
essential than more taX-eXempt power dams
When an attempt is made to bring gov
ernment spending under control, the lOcall
ties affected think a terrible wrong has beer
done to them Each locality believes it shOulc
be the eXceptiOn-ecOnOmy is strictly for The
other fellow.
Many people think it would be tragedy
if the government stopped spending hundreds
upon hundreds of millions of dollars building
tax-exempt electric systems to the deStruc
tiOn of highly taxed private industry. They
are shocked when anyone mentions trimming
the sails of these bureaucratic specimens o
European socialism.
If liberalism" means advocating dupli
cation OF destruction of privately-OWned tax
paying industries in order that taX-cXcmp
government plants can be built at cost o
essential public services face curtailment fO
lack of tax revenue, then the less lbcralisl
we have, the better.
THERE Is A CRIME WAVE sweepin
over the land, and the Federal Bureau {
investigation shows that more than ,563, 80
major crimes were reported in 1918. In l9l
crimes totaled nearly SO per cent among eN
cry 100000 persons. In 1915 crimes of til
same ratio jumped to more than 81 per cen
LawlessneSs is still going up! The preSer
crime wave is accounted for as a reaction
war 1t is explained that too many yOun
workers have too much easy money to elbow
Many families that are separated show bf
behavior on all sides of the house. There
a probable increase of 25 per cent IN b;
behavior and crimes this year as compare
to the previous year.
Mark Twain once observed: "Bc good, al
you'll be lOneSOme; a saying which Is rCvl
ed in an American proverb "Be good. Al
if YOU can't be good be careful" A SPANS
proverb came nearer hitting the mark wi
this one: Every man is good, but not f
everything" The answers reveal no 'ne
deal" on the records.
THE SUPREME COURT of the Unit
States set aside the conviction of the Mial
Herald for contempt of the Florida courts
and that is victory for free press. T
Justices of the United States Supreme Cou
decided that newspapers and anybody ell
had right to speak their minds and jud
for themselves what was true and what W
fair. The Herald in 1914 attacked the cou
of Dade County, Florida, because crimil
prosecutions were lax. The paper was fin
$4,000 for contempt of court and one of t
editors was fined $3.50.
The only time the courts can punish
contempt of court, Justice Reed pointed o
is when there has been clear danger to
fair administration of justice. Reed said
could find no such danger in comment on
actions of the judges and the courts, eN
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