Show RAILROADS ASK MORE the heads beads of eastern southern and western railroads have asked the interstate commerce commission for a 16 per cent advance in freight rates the railroads will claim that many of them are earning hardly more than the interest on their bonds and some are not earning that the people who own th estock of these roads they maintain I 1 are entitled to some some return if railroad stock spay no dividends people will no longer buy them the railroads will have to let their properties run down and the public will lose heavily through poor service I 1 they claim that if they could have so some me I 1 advance in rates they could buy equipment which ae they ly need but have h ave failed to order owing aning to poor earnings they c could put back maintenance empl employed emp loyes 0 yes who have been dismissed owing to loss of revenue hence they argue granting their petition would set a great number of idle people to work they hold it would lid dissipate the pessimism which is the chief obstacle to business revival in opp opposition it is argued that the general tendency of prices is is downward and that it will be impossible for bese companies to advance their charges while other prices are dropping the logical thing fo for i r them to do it is said is to reduce te wages of their employed emp loyes with increased competition of carrying trucks truck it is said increased rates would do them no good since it would lead to much more diversion of traffic to these competitors A the farmers are reduced to poverty by the low lok prices on their products it is argued and a leading imaging cause of low prices is the high cost of freighting their stuff raising freight rates at this time ti it is said would be a blow that would send many farmery into bankruptcy the interstate com commerce mae p commission needs the I 1 best business wisdom to say which course would do the more to restore industrial welfare |