The Barnwell people-sentinel. (Barnwell, S.C.) 1925-current, December 26, 1935, Image 2
The Barnwell Pcople-Smtiiul, BaniwclU S. CL, Thursday, December 26, 1935
v
MM- >-
IWU'
7
BRISBANE
...THIS WEEK
■vi,
c
Alas, One Rich Man Only!
Gasoline la King
All the Ships She Wants
Senator jBorah's View
Only one 1 solitary American citlsen
bad a net income above $5,000,000 last
' year, and they wertfTN
59-cent dollars. The
man did not realize
it, perhaps, but he
will realize it later
as Inflation, which
is now 9 fact, be-<
comes , known to
all ,i .
Arthur Brisbane
Who the last,
' lonesome, remote,
unfriendly, melan
choly five-million-
dollar-a-year-man la
may not be told.
The' law forbids
publishing Income
, tax names, but the government tells
you there la one and only one.
That “last rose’’ of depression’s sum
mer must look around him, sad-eyed,
mourning over his old coibpanlons,
withered and strewn.
What is Important today may be
nothing tomorrow; what was nothing
. yesterday may become all important
now. Once man was helpless without
bis horse, camel, ox, yak, ass, mule,
reindeer, dog sled or tame elephant.
-Now, in civilization, .they mean little
**whlle Lloyd George tells you, “Oil is
the decisive factor In the Abysslnlaa
campaign.” Of all the great powers
whose attitude Is being canvassed, tha^
of King Gasoline is most important
Without oil, Mussolini cannot win his
war; with oil, victory Is certain.
Japan at the naval conference will
consider nothing less than a battle
fleet as big as any the United States
may build; no 5-5-3 ratio.
No American should object to that,
if Japan Can afford it It Is not the
size of the fleet that counts. Unfor
tunate Spanish grandees In charge of
the great Armada £oiild testify to that,
after they met Elizabeth’s small fleet
and big sea captains.
Also, there Is the fact that if real
war started, above the clouds and
under water, every' ftgfitlng nation
would hide Its battleship targets out
of airplane sight. In safe harbors;
many battleships or few would make
uo difference.
Senator Borah tells over the micro
phone what the country needs;
Support of the Constitution; a’fight
against those who would undermine It.
The destruction of monopoly without
necessarily enacting new legislation. .
An end to crop restriction.
Senator Borah says restriction has
always failed In depression 1 ever sinc^
the days of Roman emperors.
Mr. Lament du Pont receives the
chemical and metallurgical engineer
ing award for the greatest chemical
achievement of the year—the large-
acale production of synthetic rubber.
If war and blockade cairie, this coun
try would he at the mercy of foreign
ers for Its rubber supply, an absolute
necessity of modern civilization and
war.
Tbe scientific news, gruesome but
important, tells you that the eyes of
the dead can supply transparent tis
sue from the cornea useful In curing
blindness In the Hying. Tissue from
dead eyes has been successfully trans
planted to Hving eyes, and there Is
hope of thus curing certain types of
blindness.
England has always acted like one
“walking on eggs" in dealing wilh Ja-
“pan, but she does say that Japan’s
prdposed seizure of Chinese territory
“harms tbe prestfge of Japan and ham
pers the development of friendly future
relations between Japan and her
friends."
Walter C. Teagle. head of Standard
Oil of New Jersey, did not make a
deal to supply Atussollnl with all his
oil for thirty years, casually arranging
to flnfin'ce tbe Italian oil market up to
$300,000,000. Mr. Teagle says so, and
It Is so. But when the wise John P
Rockefeller once said. ( "I want tj^see
my managers, their, desks cleWnwr iml
their feet on, the desks, studying how
to make money for Standard nil.” ht
had men tike Walter Teagle In mind
In Georgetown. British Guiana, a
kindly clergyman sprinkled a tiny negro
baby Just born, naming him “Roose
velt Selassie Caleb.” The hoy’s parents
descendants of slaves, say the name
was chosen to honor “the greatest man
In the world. President Roosevelt.”
The little baby may wonder later
why his parents dragged In Halle
Selassie. In whose empire slavery stjll
exists ns a major Industry.
An v official representative of Russia
said to this writer not long since: “We
have nothing to fear from Japan. They
waited three years too long.” While
Japan was waiting, Russia established
a great submarine and air base at
Vladivostok, within short striking dis
tance of everything Japanese.
Since then Japan and Russia have
got along peacefully. This country
may suddenly wake up to find prob
lems more Important than any theory
on how to make everybody happy oa
abort notice.
• Kins P«atur«a Syndicate, tea.
WNU ranrlna.
News Review of Current
v . ■■ __
Events the World <Over
President’s Defense of AAA and Canadian Treaty—Italy
Offered Peace Plan at Ethiopia’s Expense—Naval
Conference Seetns Hopeless.
By EDWARD W. PICKARD
£ Waatern Nawapapar Union. -
r r/
already declared by the League of Na
tions to be a victim of Italian rapacity,
would be stlii further victimized with
the consent of tbe two great powers
that dominate the league. Presumably,
If Emperor Halle Selassie refuses the
terms and decides to continue his
fight for the territorial Inviolability
guaranteed by tfie league covenant, be
will be abandoned to hla fate.
Dispatches from Dessye, Ethiopia,
said the emperor rejected the Franco-
British plali,, asserting;-,
“The’ Ethiopian* government cites Tfs
previous declarations, notably that of
October 8, to show that Ethiopia never
wished and does not wish war. But
today we are bound to' defend our Soil,
which Italy has violated. * ^
“Ethiopia agreed at the time of the^
Paris conference and % the meeting of
the League of Nations committee of
five to all concessions comparable to
its dignity, to avoid Italian aggression,
but that aggression has been commit
ted. . We cannot submit to force which
we Sever provoked, because that would
be rewarding violence.’’"
Since Mussolini showed a disposi
tion to consider the proposals, the oil
embargo was postponed to permit ne
gotiations. If Jie rejects the plan the
embargo would go into effect later and
supposedly the war in Africa would
continue at least until the rainy sea
son next, spring.
Georgs N.'
Peek
W HILE the United States Supreme
court was hearing oral arguments
In the Boosac Mills case In which the
constitutionality of the whole, Agricul
tural Adjustment act
was attacked and de
fended, President
Roosevelt was Hn. Chi
cago seeking to justify
the entire New Deal
farm program. He ad
dressed the American
Farm Bureau federa
tion in the Interna
tional Amphltheaterat
tbe stock yards and
was* beard and en
thusiastically applaud
ed by 'some 25,000
farmers and as many others as could
get Into the theater and adjoining
wings si^pplled with loud speakers.
The farm program, the President
said, aimed to “stop the rule/of tooth
and claw that threw farmers Vito bank
ruptcy or turned them Into rorfs.” As
evidence that it is succeeding, he as
serted that farm Income “has increased
nearly $3(560,000,000 in the past two
and a half years."
Necessarily Mr. Roosevelt defended
the new Canadian trade treaty because
only two days before that pact, had
been bitterly attacked by his late trade
adviser, George N. Peek.
“Just as I am confident,” said the
President, “that the great masses of
city people are fair-minded, so I am
sure that the great majority of Ameri
can farmers will be fair in their judg
ment of the new treaty.
“If -the calamity howlers should
happen to be right, you have every as- 1
surance fhat Canada and the United
States will join in correcting InequalL
ties, but I do not believe for a single
moment that the calamity howlers are
right. ———
“We export more agricultural, .prod
ucts to Canada than we have Imported
from her.
“We shall continue to do so, for the
very simple' reason that the United
States, with its larger area of agricul
tural land, its more varied climate and
its vastly greater population, produces
far more of most agricultural products,
Incluiding animal products, vegetables
and fruit, than <loes Canada.
“In the case of the few reductions
that have been made, quota limitations
are set on the amount that may be
brought In at the lower rates.”
In his analysis of the Canadian
agreement, Peek showed that 84 per
cent of the taritT concessions which
the New Dealers granted to Canada
were on agricultural and forestry prod
ucts. He also showed that the articles
on whl(*h the New Dealers granted tar-
HT reductions amounted to 308 million
dollars In 1029, whereas Canada in re
des valued at only 245 million dollars.
After completing his speech and eat
ing liincheon with a lot of local nota
bles, the President went to South Bend,
Ind., where he received an honorary
degree from Notre Dame university
an<l delivered another address.
B EFORE the American Farm Bureau
federation closed its convention in
Chicago, it adopted a resolution en-J
dorsing reciprocal trade treaties. To
avoid dissension, the resolution did not
mention specifically the recent trade
agreement between Canada abd the
United States, which lowered the duty
on many farm products coming in over
the northern border.
Another of the 17 resolutions adopt
ed at the meeting concerned “federal
fiscal policies.” Indicating their un
easiness . over the mounting federal
deficit, the fanners recommended that
the fiscal policies of the government
be modified, and that “its revenues
shall be increased, and that Its expen
ditures shall be decreased, to the end
that within the next few years a bal~,
ance^hall be attained.”
The federation also approved a res
olution pledging Itself to defend the
Agricultural Adjustment administra
tion-act. The meeting offered ub~ seri
ous criticism of the act, but asked
tMT its admlhTsTration be simplified.
The delegates, representing a paid
up membership, of ,3U(),(XR) farmers In
ai siaies, rv-eiectea IQSWard A. O’Neal
of Alabama as president of the federa-.
lion for a term of two years. Charles
E. Hearst was re-elected vice presi
dent and all 15 members of the board
'A directors were reappointed.
pROBABLT with slight hope of ao
* complishlng -anything worth while,
representatives the United States,
Great Britain, France and Japan met
In London and opened
the International naval
conference. Italy also
was represented, • but
only as an observer
and listener.- Prime
BUnIsjer"Stanley Bald
win welcomed the dele
gates in a smooth ad
dress asking the chief
sea powers to lessen
sonie^of their demands
to “avert the calamity
of unrestricted naval
competition.”
Norman H. Davis offered President
Roosevelt’s suggestion of a 20 per cent
reduction In existing naval treaty ton
nage, or, falling that, a continuance
of present fleet limitations.
Then arose“Admiral Osaml Nagano,
chief of the Japanese delegation, and 1
told the conference that • Japan de
manded parity with Great Britain and
the United States Instead of the exist
ing 5-5-3 ratio and requested a “just
and fair agreement on disarmament”
After several days of discussion .and
debate, the Japanese demand for parity
was flatly rejected by the delegates of
Admiral
Nagano
the four other nations,
turn had granted concessions on artt.-_ The pessimistic feeling that pre-
/tlixa a* ci 111 I of sitilxr ‘ > 1 \ rtiillisxn
vailed was attributed to the Japanese
demand for parity, the rivalry In the
Mediterranean between France and
Italy, the war In Ethiopia an ! its sanc
tions developments and recent occur
rences In north (’Mna. Any on£ of
which might wreck the conference.
T HE United States*and Great Brit
ain, In the conference at Washing
ton, agreed upon a plan that is ex
pected to result in regular air mail and
passenger transportation across ’ the
Atlantic by- the summer of 1937. Ne
gotiations were under way for the
northern route by way of Canada, New-\
foundland, and Irish Free State to
England, and the southern route from
Porto Rico and American ports to
England.
The northern route Is more practica
ble than the southern route because of
the shorter distance, but is less prac
ticable In winter because flights would
be undertaken under less favorable
conditions. r
Under the agreement experimental
flights will begin next summer. When
regular service is inaugurated, accord
ing to the agreement, four round trips
will be made each week.
rOHN
L from
j TALY is being punished for starting
l the war against Ethiopia, and will
-e well paid Jor stopping 1L That in a
uutshell is the status at this writing.
Great Britain and France reached an
agreement as to the offer to be made
to Mussolini before the imposition of
an ell embargo, set for December 12.
This plan for peace, drawn up by Brit
ish ^ Foreign Secretary Sir Samuel
Hoare and Pr^mlei Laval, waa based
on the proposal that Italy ahould re
tain part of tbe territory already con
quered in Ethiopia, chiefly In north
western Tigre province, including
autn, and that the Italian Somaliland
border should be rectified. In return,'
Ethiopia would be given
either tn Eritrea or
French territory. Thus
- ' A- j,- +i '
i*hr: . ■
• niij ,
H. HOEPPEL, congressman
California, and hie son,
Charles, were found guilty by a jury
in the District of Columhia Stijircuie
court of conspiring to sell an. appoiut-
nient' to West Point for $1,000. They
were released on bail pending motion
for a new trial. Hoeppel was elected
to congress in the Roosevelt landslide
of 1932 from the Seventeenth Califor
nia district, and was re-elected in 1934.
Be Is fifty-four years old; his son ia
twenty-one.
QEORGE L. BERRY, lndustrial«co-
^ ordinator, found great difficulty in
mustering his proposed Industrial coun
cil, In which many great Industrial
groups had refused to participate. The
Initial session of his conference bfoke
up In disorder amjd shouts of “liar
and threatened fist fights. Further
lugs were postponed for a week or
and most of the delegates went/Home,
declaring they wanted nothing to do
with a permanent council which might
Adowa but,, not the sacred city of Ak-_ Jead to further government interfer-
’llar” 'if
r do- in
more O
ence with private bus!
unions aftood by Beri
gram would aid
hour week and
all Industry.
The labor
hoping his pre
plans for a 30-
Ucenslng of
J OHN J. LEWIS, president of tlie
United Mine Workers and head at
tMP‘*reber committee on Industrial cr-
ganlzation that Is aeekifag'lb^gain con
trol of the American Federation of La
bor, Invited President William -Gfben
of the federation to resign and accept
chairmanship of the committee. In a
letter to Lewis, Green declared that he
never had associated himself with any
minority seeking to split the A. F. of
L., and never $ould do so. He mildly
rebuked the insurgents by saying that
he himself ‘‘In a spirit of good sports
manship took It on the chin” whenever
he had found himself outvoted In the
A. F. of L. convention.
DMINISTRATION officials state
**-that President Roosevelt will ask’
the new congress for a $100.90(0.000 ap
propriation as the Initial fund to
launch the federal social security pro
gram going lhto u effect January 1. The
fund is to be distributed among the
states for the needy old aged, In the
form of pensions, for maternity and
child welfare, and to aid’ the blind.
State commissioners and public wel
fare directors were sumniohed to
Washington by the social security
hoard to discuss formulation of regula
tions and procedure.
POLITICIANS, especially Republicans
* were greatly Interested in a meeting
In Washington between former Vice
President Charles Curtis and / Senator
Borah, and its possible Implications.
Curtis Insisted to the press that he is
stjll advocating-the nomination of Gov.
Alf Landon of Kansas for the Presi
dency, but the Idaho senator is himself
a leadfng possibility for that honor.
Curtis had recently had a conference
with Landon In Topeka, but he said
there was no connection between fhat
and his call on Borah..
The ex-Vice President said of the
nomination: >
“I have no second choice, but a
lot depends on what happens at the
convention. I have the highest regard
for tpe senator. I’m for Landon, who
Is well equipped to run, after giving
us an economic administration In Kan
sas—something we need here in Wash
ington more now than evjgribefore."
C ARLOS MENDIETA resigned as
presjdent of Cuhq because of a
fierce quarrel in the government over
procedure for the election of a con
stitutional president. Mendieta had
held the office for two years.- Secre
tary of State Barnet took over the
office and reappointed all members of
the cabinet, and preparations for the
election went ahead.’
C ONTINUOUS rioting in Cairo, di
rected against British 'control of
Egypt, attacks on English soldiers and
smashing of street cars and shop win
dows, forced Premier
Nessim Pasha and his
cabinet to decide' to
resign. The rioters de-
manded the restora
tion of the constitu
tion of 1923 and thje
ministers pleaded with
Sir Miles Lrtmpson,
British high commis
sioner, to give his con
sent. He Was obdurate
in ’‘fiTs J refusal until
King Fuad. Ne Ss j m Pasha an
nounced’ that he would quit, but yield
ed then to avoid disorders similar to
those of 1919.
Therefore, with the consent of Great
Britain, King Fuad signed a royal de
cree restoring constitutional govern
ment, and tlie cabinet members with
drew their resignations. The consti
tution^ thus restored provides for a
senate and chamber of deputies and
takeshcontrol of Egypt’s internal affairs
conriiretely out of British hands. It
does not, however, affect Britain’s con
trol of Egyptian foreign affairs, nor the
British military protectorate.
N ORTH CHINA autonomists, sup
ported by the Japanese armies,
evidently are too much for the' Nan
king goveriflfient, of which Chiang Kal-
Shek has now become the premier. The
provinces of Hopei and Chahar, with a
population of 30,000.000 or more, have
been granted virtual self-rule under a
political council. The central govern
ment made only three stipulations—
that Nanking would continue to control
the new state’s foreign affairs, finan
cial, military and Judiciary matjers;
that all appointments would he made
by Nanking, and that there would be
po actual independence for the area.
No machinery was provided to pre
vent tbe new council from-dolng exact'
Tv as it pleased-under Japanese protec
tion and guidance.
n it UNO HAUPTMANN, convicted of
•tJ ktdnapt.tg and murdering the f/fwK
borgh baby, lost almost his last chance
of escaping the electric chair Vihen
the Supreme court refused to. review
his case. The decision was made
through the single word "Denied."
Hauptmann’s atton.e^s had an
nounced previously that, In the event
a review was refused, they would seek
a new trial If new evidence could be
found and would appeal for a commu
tation of the death sen tenge, to life Im
prisonment-' ^ :
Washington!
Digest Jik
National Topics Interpreted
By WILLIAM BRUCKART
^ONiSUMERS who buy potatoes In
regular retail establishments are
not liable to a fine as hl^h as $1,000
the spuds are grown and marketed
in violation of the poteto control act.
Only the first purchaser of unstamped
potatoes ia liable. This Is the ruling
of the AAA, and the act may he
amended later tn include this pro
vision.
Tlie bureau uf Internal revenue rego-
jations require that the producer can-
^cei the at a mbs, after they are attached,
by writing liy ink or indelible pencil or
by stamplmrhls Initial* and rh*» d«‘<'
. Washington.—A politician without
problem confronting him is virtuall^ji
unknown. Whether^
Political he be a big shot in
Problenu political life or Just
a ward feeler, his
life is constantly beset with diffi
culties. Those difficulties'always have
and always will force him to wiggle
and squirm and sprout additional gray
hairs. * \
The newest problem worrying politi
cians is t$ie Townsend old age pension
proposal. Promoters of that fantastic
scheme are gaining such a headway
that even James A. Farley, postmaster
gendt'al, chalrrpnn of the Democratic
national committee and chairman of
the New York state Democratic com
mittee, is currently reported to be de
veloping frowns on his otherwise smil
ing face. When Mr. Farley begins to
get worried, there Is cause, indeed, for
all of the ; other politicians, big and
little, to-get worried. The Republicans
also are concwned about the Townsend
plan. But It is not quite as important
to the Republicans as it is. to the'
Democrats to take a stand on the
Townsend plan because the Democrats
are In consol of the national admlri-
Istratjcn and obviously they are’dn the
defensive.
The battle being pressed by Mr.
Townsend and his satellites is no small
concern. , Impossible as It Is of opera
tion; doomed to ultimate failure as
such a scheme must definitely be, it
continued to expand In its scopfc of po-
lltlcal influence and has, arrived at_the
point where It constitutes a power
-that must be reckoned with by all.
I am convinced that anyone who will
analyze the Townsend plan cannot
help arriving at the conclusion that It
Is comparable to the fantasy of the
“Mississippi bubble.” When the Missis
sippi bubble broke, not thousands but
millions were disillusioned, if not ut
terly destroyed, and their economic
future, so glowingly painted, was com
pletely wrecked.
• • •
The Townsend plan which contem
plates payment of two hundred dollars
per month to the in-
, Townsend -digent is one of those
Plan things that develops
Invariably in periods
of economic distress. It is distinctly
a product of hard-times. v
. When people are out of wojk and
without resources; when they are suf
fering, they are always prey to any
and all argument offering them relief.
Tlie conditions exact even a greater
toll, a toll leading to crime. l)nly a
few day» ago the chief of the secret
servjce, W. H. Moran, told me that It
was a characteristic of hard times that
counterfeiters of currency were more
active. Idle hands will find something
to do' and the clever crook will take
advantage of the situation. While
every one who has talked with Doctor
Townsend recognizes his sincerity, his
earnest desire to accomplish relief for
the aged an(l indigent population, I be
lieve it is an Indisputable fact that
Doctor Townsend's plan would not get
to first base except for the fact that
this country now has millions of citi
zens who are almost If not quite with
out food. "
The point I am^ trying to make Is
that Doctor Townsend’s scheme. Idle
dream that It Is, has been put forward
at one of the few times in this nation's
history when tt is posstble to amass a
following of political importance. It
is only in times such as these that
people would pay attention to It. It
will die down and his organization
will crumble sometime in the future
but this will not happen, until it has
caused plenty of grief, until it has
wrecked political fortunes of countless
scores of men and women who guess
.wrong and until probably it has pro
duced ^.burden of taxation upon this
nation the like of which never has
been seen before.
In the forthcoming campaign, I be
lieve we will see numerous political
candidated, otherwise 8oi|nd In their
thinktmfr afflrm the vaildity oT the
Townsend plan. They will commit
themselves to Us support because po
litical maneuvers will force them Into
that position. Some of theny probably
"more than' we now Jmaglne, will be
elected to congress and they will bring
a gigantic headache to Uncle Sam who
must foot the bill
Townsend plan supporters In all of
their preachments have constetently
talked of their proposition from Its
behuteous side. It is susceptible of
thak because It Is easy to point out
what ft blessing it would be to have
each ageia person receive a monthly
check of tWo hundred dollars from the
government. ' /
But there is another side to the pic
ture. * It Is basic. Where will the gov
ernment get the money? Townsend
spokesmen have figured out a vision
ary taxation scheme to raise the
amount of money required but the
thing they do not discuss Is the funda
mental fact that ^y their taxation
scheme they will depreciate our na
tional currency and will load upon,
those who are willing to work^snch a*
burden of taxation that soon there
will be a clamor from three out of four
of the population for some kind of a
government payment The end then
would be obvious because after all
in
government as such produces nothing.
All that it pays out must be takeff
from those who produce.
• • "
In adverting to the Townsend plan •
as I have done, I have attempted to
set forth In a man-
Another per what I believe to
Problem be one of the great
est dangers of the
present ’’day, namely, the absence of
clear thinking. In the Townsend plan,
as In jnany other problems that con
front the nation at the moment, Indi- V
vlduals seem prone to jump’ at conclu
sions without analyzing what condi
tions actually are and without consld- *
eringwhat the ultimate effect would bar'
..It seems worth white to consider fm- '
other national problem which, though
of an economic nature and less sensa
tional In Its outward appearance, is
nevertheless -very real. This problem
concerns opr transportation system.
Shortly after President Roosevelt
took office we were deluged with argu
ment that amounted to propaganda fa
voring government ownership of the.
railroads. There was a reaction
against this Idea. The reaction was
so strong that few politicians dared
to unloose their demagogery in favor
of government ownership. Yet, It is
perfectly evident that those who fa.vof
perpetuating private enterprise which
is always more efficient and less waste
ful than any government are In dan
ger, of being lulled to sleep. Crack
pots and misguided theorists In great v .
numbers still favor government own
ership ot the railroads. They are still
working. v The government ownership
problem is not dead. It is only con
cealed from the eyes of most of us for
the time-* being.
Certain developments of the past sev
eral months confirm the statement
have just madwt Taken sifigiy, these
developments appear Insignificant.
Collectively, they are very important.
I have heard it charged that govern
ment ownership advocates have a well-
laid plan to wreck private ownership
In the rail Industry; This charge goes
further. It asserts that those who seek
to destroy our profit system are pro
ceeding, piecemeal, to load a burden
of charges upon the railroads str-that.
in the end it will lie a physical impos
sibility for the railroad corporations
to earn a profit. Indeed, it is alleged
that the scheme contemplates eventual*
burdening of tlie rail lines to the ex
tent where they cannot make their ex
penses.
» • •
Obviously, If that end wert attained,
bankruptcy would follow. Then, there
v ' . would he no alterpa-
Means tlve hut legislative
Bankruptcy action Apiacing the
rajlroads in govern
ment ownership. Our wartime experi
ence ought to be sufficient to demon
strate how the costs mount when the
government operates the.railroads. It
means more taxes on every one of us
who has income whether it be large or .
small.
But to get back to the developments,
mentioned earlier. Whether there ex
ists an actual plan to drive the rail- -
roads into bankruptcy or not, the de
velopments certainly are subject to
that surmise. One of the items of ex
pense, a new burden of cost that 14
proposed to be loaded on the railroads.
Is the rail pension law. I bare seen
some statistical calculations which
were convincing to me at least that
the charges proposed to be levied upon
the railroads by the law will not work
out In ithe manner their proponents
claim. The hill would assess each
rail corporation 3^ per cent of Its pay
roll and each worker would contribute
a proportionate amount of his salary
toward his pension when he retires.
Like the Townsend plan, no one cap
argue against the fine spirit actuating
a move to protect the retired workers.
But to go behind the figures at the
start one finds certain astonishing
facts. Almost any way, almost any
method, one aiea to calculate this cost,
forces the conclusion that after eight
or ten years the' pension system will
have expanded to such an extent that
the railroads will be carrying an an-
mmt ch«rge'tm thetr payroTT of not
per cent but approximately 15 per
cent. I think It goes without saying
that no Industry can bear such a tax.
In addition to the pension proposi
tion, labor unions, aided by^heir cats’-
paws In congress have kept up a steady
machine gun fire, demanding first one
thing and then another froip the car
riers. For instance, one of the current
demands—and it Is likely to succeed
In some form—is the movement for
shorter hours for practically the en
tire list of railroad employees. Of
course, the railroads' cannot Justify
working their employees longer than
eight hours except in au emergency.
It Is possible that a seven-hour day
might be practiced. But even a seven-
hour day would mean that the rail
roads must add to their operating
costs, and any item added to operating
costs reduces the chance of the cor
porations tor an even, break between
income and outgo.
There are a number of other such
demands or movements under way or
In the offing. Each one means s a new
burden, a new tax sn the railroads.
• WMUrn N*vap*p«r Union.
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