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Show l?H Do Not Let Things Slow Down jl JUST before he died the late J. J. Hill said the tgH great trouble with the railroads of the country 1H was their lack of terminal facilities. That is IH vividly apparent now. Wo hear of much scarci- II ties of cars all over the country, especially along H the Atlantic coast, the reason being mat the cars H crowded there have no places in which to unload. 91 The ships to ibear the products away are so If H few, as well as the warehouses for storage, that IfH the cars have to remain loaded week after "week IH and the business of the whole country halts. 4H A like condition will prevail with tho stoppage H of tho -war, all over the country unless extraor- H dlnary exertions shall 'be made to prevent tho IH congestion that will naturally follow. 9H Some things at least should be anticipated. IH A great deal of material will need sending away; iH a great deal of material in foreign countries will jH be waiting to be brought and which our country II will need in its work. The ships for this work fH should be ready; tho ships and their crews; be- i H 'hind these the ship yards should be in perfect re- &H pair to put through all work desired of them; H behind them the smelters and rolling mills and $?H structural iron works, and behind them iron and 1 H coal mines. H The government assumes tho ownership of the IH natural resources of the country. Are there no ir- IH ri0 Ion or power enterprises to be vitalized, H to make work for needy men? ajH Are there no new railroads needed to prevent IH fl J Wi the over recurrdnt scarcities which afflict the j pcoplo? M Cannot a better system of agriculture Do in- m troduced which will make work for more, and an ji increased yield 'be realized with which to pay the ' extra men? H ' More than half the world's surface is yet un- B: scratched. H Between hero and the1 iSIerra Nevadas are mil- M lions of acres to ibe "had for the taking which with M half a chance would raise five tons of potatoes M or fifteen tons of rutabagas to tho acre. m While this is true it is a shame that the poor M man in the city has to pay $1.80 per bushel to feed H his family on. M Wo suggest that when the legislature meets it M consider the advisability of establishing a board fl to look after public needs and to see that enough H of common foods of the people shall be planted to insure to tho poor, cheap, plain food, even if B tho state itself, through some board, undertakes H tho work. H That all our states have ample lands to feed H the people cheaply is a plain proposition. That H there is coal enough to give all the people cheap fuel is an equally plain proposition. H When then simple food becomes outrageous in H cost and a coal scare becomes a constant night- H mare, they only show that there has been a criml- H, nal carelessness of management somewnere, or H that as a people, we have lacked the sagacity to H look six months before our own noses and to take H some simple precautions against some plainly H threatened misfortunes. H Generally state governments should begin to H assume more supervision of such affairs as direct- H ly affect' the welfare of tho people. These should H bo some new iboards organized for specific pur- H poses and the means authorized to carry on need- H ed things, and the authorities of the states and H of the nation should take on a new energy to get H all the people working in accord for the common H good. |