OCR Text |
Show SAYS TI RAItWflYS IE THE SUFFERERS President B. F. Bush Discusses Dis-cusses High Cost of Living and Freight Rates. ST. LOUIS. Dec. 8. President B. V. Bush of tho Missouri Pacific railroad, in an nddresB tonight before the Pennsylvania Pennsyl-vania Society of St. Louis, said the railroads rail-roads of the United States were the sufferers suf-ferers and not gainers by the Increased cost of living. "Our wage scale has constantly advanced," ad-vanced," he said, "and so have prices for tho materials arid supplies we need. Yet It has been some time since we received any general rate increase, while wc have been subjected to many reductions. "In tho Inst tlscal year, the railroads of tho United States did a business of over throo hundred billion units. A unit of freight Js ono ton carried one mile, and a. passenger unit is onb person carried ono mile. An increase of only 1 mill per unit would not bo felt by travelers or consumers consum-ers but, because of tho vast quantities in which 'tho transportation companies deal, it would mean to them $300,000,000 annually annu-ally in increased net revenue." Mr. Bush then quoted rates on various commodities to show how little freight rates figure In tho cost to the consumer. According to the figures he cited, the rate on a pair of shoes from St. Louis to Dallas Dal-las is 3.C7 cents, and to Denver 4 cents. The freight on a suit of clothes to Dallas ho figured at 8.S cents and to Denver 0.7 cents. "Vou will realize." he continuod, "how little railroad rates have to do with the cost of an article to the consumer. Ho gains nothing by an ordinary freight reduction re-duction and suffers nothing through a reasonable freight increase. "Have you ever known a consumer to buy an article at less cost because the freight on it had been cut 'S or II mills or even 2 or s cenlsV The manufacturer. Jobber, or retailer reaps tho benefit and the railroads are deprived of revenue necessary nec-essary to conduct their business and to care for the expanding demands of this rapidly growing country. Tf something is not done to help the railroads by granting grant-ing them an advance in rates, so they can provido needed Improvements and betterments, better-ments, the day Is not far distant when, through lack of transportation facilities, this nation will witness, some big crop year, a tie-up of everything, that will cost tho farmers, manufacturers and the people peo-ple a thousandfold more than the slight rato advance sought. And this rate increase in-crease would cost the consumer nothing." |