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Show MILLIIONS TO GO TO LAND GRANT CARRIERS In the last century, the government govern-ment of the United States gave 130,000,000 acres of public land to encourage railroad corporations to provide transportation urgently needed, mostly in the development of the western half of the country. A condition of the gift was that the railroads would provide transportation trans-portation for the government at half the regular rates. For a number num-ber of years the railroads chiefly affected have been attempting to persuade congress to release them from the contract and permit them to charge the government the government the full rates for hauling its freight and passengers. The measure has passed the House twice but last year failed to get action in the Senate. Now, it awaits a vote in the senate. The Association of American Railroads and the Railway Labor Executives' Association worked for the passage of the bill which was opposed by the War, Navy, Interior and Treasury departments. depart-ments. A few congressmen raised their voices in protest but the House by a voice vote, without a roll call, agreed to permit the carriers to charge the government regular rates. two million. Some of it he says, contains oil and other valuable minerals. There is a provision in the bill, as it passed the House, directing the Interstate Commerce Commission Commis-sion to review rates i nthe light of the additional revenue received by the railroads. A number of members doubt whether this will amount to anything and Congressman Congress-man Poage declares that neither the Commission nor the carriers will pay any attention to the provision pro-vision because the carriers operate oper-ate the commission almost as successfully suc-cessfully as they run their own trains. The contention of the railroad companies is that the government has already saved enough money on the cheaper rates to equal the value of the land given the carriers. car-riers. Moreover, they argue that if the government pays full charges, the carriers will be able to reduce the rates for private shippers. It is interesting to observe that last year the Army saved $240,-000,000 $240,-000,000 under the terms of the contract with the railroad companies. com-panies. This year, with heavy shipments of war materials destined des-tined for the Pacific coast, it is estimated that an additional appropriation ap-propriation of $350,000,000 will be necessary to cover the additional cost of transporting materials and troops if the bill is enacted. Spirited opposition to the measure meas-ure was expressed by Congressman Congress-man Poage of Texas, Voorhis of California, O'Hara of Minnesota, Kirwan of Ohio, and a few others. In addition, Senator Wheeler of Montana who opposed the bill last year, announces that he will fight yit again in the senate. The proposal of the railroad companies is one of the most barefaced bare-faced suggestions ever made to the government which is asked to forego the benefits obtained by giving away 130,000,000 acres of land. The House of Representatives Representa-tives voted to do so without even requiring the railroads, still owing ow-ing 'some of the land, to return it to the government. Mr. Voorhis pointed out that the Northern Pacific has five million mil-lion acres, the Southern Pacific eight million and the Santa Fe |