Evening Star Newspaper, July 1, 1923, Page 41

) ? 3 5 . TR SECTION - EDITORIAL PAGE: ._,DITORI_AL NATIONAL PROBLEMS D ! SPECIAL ARTICLES Part 216 Pages NOT ENOUGH TO KEEP MECHANICS UP BUILDING Competition for Labor Is Incrt;asing Prices and Results in Getting Less Instead of More Work Done. BY WILL P. KENNEDY. ITH a practical embargo agalnst butlding in opera- tion for about five years, during war days, this coun- try got away behind on housing— both'domestic and business. Now, there are only so many me- chanics, anyway, and in the drive to catch up on building to meet an ur- | gent demand—at any price—the con- tractors have been bidding against each other for mechanics, paying blg bonuses. This situation was made worse by the fact that there has been an alarming decline in the number of mechanics, for two outstanding rea- sons—(1) the unions have limited the number of apprentices to be trained, d (2) we are no longer getting a supply of trained artisans among the‘ immigrants from Europe. As a result bullding costs have more than doubled in the last ten years, and there has been a 25 per cent increase in the cost of bullding during the last year. Bullding Costs Skyrocket. This bidding against each other for the mechanics supply by contractors 1an't getting any more bullding done. In fact, it results in less buflding being finished, because it arouses a tendency for the mechanic to slack on the job, hold back In the traces and prolong the work. ing bullding costs, less work done, while the need for buildings grows. Something must be done about it— but what can be done? Some of the best minds of the country have been working on a solu- tion. Contractors in all branches of jun The net result is constantly mount- | union. mounted from 92 in 1914 and 94 in 1915 to 204 last April and 202 last May. We find that construction costs, material and labor combined (accord- Ing to Englneering- News Record fig- ures) mounted from 93 in 1914 and 98 in 1915 to 217 last April and 220 in May. We find that factory bulld- Ing costs (according to Aberthaw Con- struction Company figures) mounted trom 100 in 1914 to 206 in both April and May. We find that frame<house materlals, retail prices (according to Department of Commerce figures), mounted from 100 in 1914 to 206 in April and 212 in May. As a sidelight on the great volume of bullding being done, we can quote from the report of the F. W. Dodge Corporation, on file In the Department of Commerce, which shows that this one concern, in six northern districts, including twenty-seven states in the northeastern quarter of the United States, has had contracts awarded from January 1 to June 1, this year, for 46,947 projects—mostly business and residential—valued at $1.622, 953,400, which is the best record in ten years and marks an increase from $300,721,000 in 1914. Reliable Statistics Lacking. It is difficult to get accurate satis- tics on the number of building me- chanlcs. If it is asked “How many carpenters are there?” the trade fon will say the numbér In the In a busy season, with the contractor, it is any one who can swing a hammer. In the slack season most of these go into whatever other work will pay them best. Falling back on the census report. we find a startling condition facing the build- ing Industry. While the total popu- the building trades—and this Includes | lation increased from 1910 to 1920 at fifty-one crafts—are concerned. Lead- ers In public life, including such men as Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Com- merce, and James J. Davis, Secretary ©of Labor, have tackled the problem. The two fundamental efforts to put building in this country on a safe and sane, economic, stable basis are— more apprentice training and all-the- | year, instead of short-season, build- | ing operations. 1 Home Shortage Acute. With this skeleton of conditions be- | fore us, let's briefly develop the pre- ceding paragraphs: During the war there was little or no building. This was especlally true of homes. We had some factory expansion, because a number of fac- tories were enlarged to produce war supplies, but many other factorles producing articles not suitable for war were not expanded, and, in most cases, were allowed to run down and fall out of repair. By hundreds the ~best mechanical skill of the country was drawn into war work—building cantonments, in shipyards and for specialized work overseas, as well as in the trenches. Since the war the wage mcales have shown marked increases but do not give the real picture by any.means. The wage scales have been fairly steady, but the contractors, climbing ladders to invelgle workmen on one Job to quit and go on another, have been paying amazing bonuses, with double time for Saturday and Sunday work, So, it isn't the wage scale, but the pay roll. that tells the story. Mounting Material Prices. Comparing figures for four classifi- cations: We find that wholesale bullding material prices (according to Department of Labor figures) | & 149 percentage, there was not a similar increase in any of the build- ing trades, and in the most important ones there was an alarming decrease, something llke 35 per cent in the'case of stonecutters. To quote exact fig- ures: The number of brick and stone masons fell off from 169.402 In 1910 to 139,264 in 1920; painters, glazlers and varnishers fell off from 273,441 to 248,497, and stonecutters from 35,731 to 22,099. The number of car- penters increased from 817.120 to 887,379; tinsmiths and sheet-metal workers increaved from 56,423 to 69,735; plumbers, gas and steam fitters from 148,304 to 206,718, and structural ironworkers from 11,427 to 18,836. This while the total popula- tion was growing from 91,972,266 to 105,710,620, Short-Period Employment. One of the principal troubles with the bullding industry is that it af- | fords only short-period seasonal em- ployment. In some of the fifty-one crafts, especially plasterers, the workman has only a 170 to 200 day working year. As John H. Donlin, head of the bullding trades depart- ment of the American Federation of Labor, succinctly puts it. “The man works by the day and lives by the | year”” With fifty-one crafts in the bullding trades, highly subdivided oc- { cupations, this specializing makes it much more difficult to get continuous work than In the old days when not more than six classes of workmen i were required to complete a building. Contributing largely to this condi- tion of & short rush season s the fact that in most of the large cities we have a common leasing date, as for example October 1. If a man can not (Continued on Third Page.) Training Schools as Remedy For Shortage of Mechanics From the New York Timen. James Balrd, president of the George A. Fuller Company and chatr- man of the emergency committee of the Mason Bullders' Association, in a statement issued yesterday declared that the problems attendant on the shortage of mechanics in the building trades in New Tork would b olved it the owners of the $#,000,000 buflding projects now delayed by scarcity of skilled labor would Invest $500,000 to establish schools for train- ing mechanics. In an ana.ysis of the present situa- tion, coupled with a survey of the number of bricklayers now at work. made bY the Mason Builders' Asso- clation; Mr. Baird sald that the extent of the building that can be done at any time In New York is limited by the amount of work that can or will Be done by 3,500 or 4,000 resident bricklayers. Outline of Plan. This is Mr. Baird's statement: “The emergency committee of the Mason Bullders' Association has just completed a careful survey covering all bullding operations in Greater New York (the exact number being 781). This survey has developed the fact that the total number of brick- layers working In Greater New York June 1 was 4,642, “Further inquiries indicated that approximately 500 men were not working, due either to illness or lack of Inclination. This demonstrates that the number of available brick- layers at present In Greater New York is approximately 5,000. Of this number. the reports indicate that from 1,000 to 2,000 are transients. In other words, the building that can be done in New York is limited by the amount of work that can (of will) be. dope by approximately 3,600 or 4,000 resident bricklayers, though fn times like the present, when bonus payments are added to the basic wage, an increment known loat- erg’: to the extent of 1,000 to 2,000 (dspeneing upon the amounts of the bonus paid) comes to the city. Sees Need for More Brickinyers. #At the present time there ia work for at least 2,000 to 4,000 more brick- jayers-thas are available, The entire country has a shortage of trained men in the bullding trades. The rec- ords of the Department of Labor, covering a ten-year period, are as follows: Classes of mechanics. Brick and stone masons. .. | Plastere Roofers and | Atonecutters. Painters, gl 1910. 1920 Total “The table shows a decline of 80,000 skilled workmen when there should | have been an increase of at least 1100,000 to keep pace with the growth of population. One of the chief rea. sons for this shortage of mechanics ltes in the policy of labor unions of ! enforcing onerous rules and condi- itions which have had the effect of | restricting the number of apprentices. “The result has been that the re- quirements for building construction in Greater New York (as well as practically throughout the country) are not regulated by the needs of the industry and of the public, but by a Small group. of workers, the num- ber governing the situation in New York being certainly not more than 4,000, since the bricklayer is the key to the bullding situation, and the shortage In this trade controls the program. Calls for a Remedy. “This groGp has followed the prin- clple that it will not materially add to its number and will fill just as much of the bullding requirements as the organization is pleased to do and at rates and under conditions that it is in position largely te regulate. “This Is a condition that can and must be corrected. And how? ‘Sim- {lar situations are now being met in many cities throughout the , United States, particular]y in the west, where schools for training building me- chanics are in operation, notable ex-| amples being Cleveland, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Antonio. In San Francisco there are seven such schools. While re are &' few very small, inadequate schools scattered through the east, there is none of anything like sufficlent cipacity. “The method of expediting work in New. York'has been for & bullder who i _WASHINGTON, Attention Won by President’s Speeches Has -I_’oliticians Guessing as to Effect BY N. O. MESSENGER. RESIDENT HARDING'S speeches on tour are attracting attention of the reading public, according to the free remarks one hears from people in the every-day walks of life. He is recognized as presenting a variety of topics for comment and discussion. One wonders if he has a sufficient stock of subjects to “carry him through.” Naturally, when-he -returns from Alaska he will be full'of our most northern possession, and eager to tell the country all about that, but before he takes ship at San Diego for the Canal Zone and Porto Rico he will have opportunity to talk to the Pacific coast people on economic affairs. * %k %k %k More comment is heard upon his prohibi- tion speech at Denver than other speeches, and, of course, the views expressed by lay- men all depend upon whether the commenta- tor is “wet,” “dry” or “near-wet.” Republi- can politicians, from the cold and practical viewpoint of the possible effect of his re- marks upon party prospects, are disposed to hold that he did wisely to broach the subject so far in advance of the presidential cam- paign and focus the attention of the country upon the stand taken by the republican party on the prohibition question. Law enforce- ment to the uttermost is the party's atti- tude, and that in effect means support of prohibition as a policy. Following the Denver speech there has been observable a strong tide of public opin- ion setting in approving the President’s - stand. Religious and reform institutions everywhere are indorsing his utterances and his attitude. The thought is, will that in- dorsement unconsciously swing political sen- timent in favor of the republican party? That is the natural psychology of it, in view of the impression widely held that the demo- cratic party is looked upon as at least “damp,” Already democratic leaders are trying to , refute the assumption that the democratic party, as an organization, will go before the country on a near-wet issue. They realize the advantage the republicans are likely to gain by thus early establishing their status as strictly dry and appealing to all the moral forces of the country, * %k k Chairman Adams of the republican na- D: -C, tional committee, who is a pretty wise old owl politically, believes that too much stress is not to be laid upon this advantage, come election day, for he does not visualize the democratic party as likely to adopt the wet issue in its platform, and that between the time of the convention and the election in November the supposed psychological effect will have worn off and the party lines will return to form. He notes the desperate ef- forts of democratic leaders to get from un- der the effect of public impression that the democratic party will lean to the wet side, and is confident that the democrats will not in their platform give any ground for charges of sprinkling the party with moisture. * % ¥ K Senator Copeland of New York, who was supposed to be on the side of the wets, be- cause he was elected along with Gov. Smith, is now said to be in reality with the drys and will so vote in the Senate. Asan offset, Senator Couzens of Michigan, a dry state, has come out in advocacy of 5 per cent beer. He would accomplish this by amending the Volstead act by describing an intoxicant as beer in excess of 5 per cent alcoholic con- tent. He holds that would automatically exclude wine. “I spoke as a United States senator,” he is quoted as saying, “who must not attempt to, regard himself as the instrument of any local section, but who strives to serve the country as a whole. I did not pose as re- flecting public sentiment in Michigan nor the views of Michigan people as a unit.” Four-fifths of the people of Michigan may be dry, but they do not vote in the Senate; Senator Couzens casts the vote, and, if he should carry out his independence of idea, ore-half of Michigan's vote in the Senate would be for beer. * Xk ¥ % The republican administration and na- tional political organization evidently made a ten-strike when they authorized the na- tional committeemen to invite women into the organization as advisory members of the national committee. It is said that the re- sponse has been most gratifying to the lead- ers, evidencing immediate arousing of enthu- siasm among the women. Many acceptances of the invitation have been received, and it is noted that the per- sonnel of the women who have agreed to serve is of a high character, including women S SUNDAY MORNING, JULY 1, 1923 of recognized political ability. An instance of the enthusiasm with which the women committeemen are taking hold and of the spirit animating them was furnished by Mrs. Charles H. Sabin, who accepted as national committeewoman for New York. She said she realized that her job was “to deliver the New York woman vote,” and she was going to do it. The hard-boiled politicians chuckled with delight and said, “She speaks the lan- guage of our tribe.” * % %k ¥ President Harding, it is claimed by repub- licans, came back at the democratic nationai organization in his speech at Helena when he refuted the charge that the republican administration was in sympathy with a move- ment to deflate wages of labor and disin- tegrate labor unions. For months demo- cratic speakers in Congress and the na- tional organization have sought to encour- age the insinuation that the republican ad- ministration was leagued with the capitalis- tic effort to scale down wages and drive a wedge into the unions, Speaking of his and the administration's knowledge of what has been going on with regard to the movement, the President told of those on capital's side who hoped that the" administration would lend itself to their pro- gram of sending organized labor back to the era of individual bargaining for the individual job. The administration, he declared, has tried to prevent this. In the same breath he warned that ele- ment of labor which, he said, had hoped by exorbitant demands to force nationalization of important industries and services. He asserted that the administration was hold- ing the scale even between the two extrem- ist positions, confident that in doing so it had the backing of the people. * k X *k The politicians are commenting upon the “panning” Senator Borah got in his own home state during President Harding's visit. He sat on the platform and heard the gov- ernor of the state roast soviet Russia, and listened while the President inferentially jabbed him on the subject, Senator Borah being an advocate of recognition of the soviet government. What did Senator Borah do? “He just grinned,” the reports say, and tried to look pleasant. requires men to go across the street to a competitor's job and offer a higher wage. One of the leaders in labor comments on this by asking, | ‘What could be expected of a work- man when a contractor meets him coming off work and invites him to come across the street to his job for twice as much money and half as much work? “This gets no more building done, but it adds to the cost to the publie, and some other remedy must be found. Susgests School Plam “Besides the 2,000 to 4,000 addi- tional bricklayers needed in New York, there are proportional added requirements in other trades. Train- ing schools are needed. I may sug- gest a way In which the necessary schools could be supplied. A com- mittee of public-spirited citizens could ralse the necessary funds (the amount needed certainly not exceed- ing $500,000) to secure quarters and instructors competent to train the necessary number of young men much more easily and expeditiously than it was during the war to train a much smaller number of young men as | soldiers. Young men can become fairly good working mechanics, in most of the Industries, within a six months’ period, after which they can be further instructed in the finer de- ltalls for a perfod of perhaps two years, and during this time they can also be working producers at’ good pay. “The fact is so obvious that there {s a shortage of trained mechanics in New York that in all probability the unionis would not contend ‘against taking trained men into their organ- ization as fast as they are developed. If the unions should refuse, then, of course, the young men that are train- ed would of necessity have to un- dertake work on their own account, following which the unions would without doubt take them into thelr organizations immediately. A Profitable Investment. “As there is at present work in New York to the extent of, say, $100,- 000,000 held up waiting an adequate supply of mechanics, it can readily be seen that an investment of $500,000 to establish training schools would be money well invested. I would urgently suggest that the situation be considered by a committee ‘ap- pointed by the business interests of New York now affected by the short- age of me ‘As to stability (! employment at good wages, it is obvious that if an pply of ‘mechanics were continuously available in the city of iNew | York, wages would remain | stable; for there would be no un- necessary bldding among the con- tractors -on a ‘snow-balling’ basis. \Nor woiild there be the dissatisfaction and inclination to strike among the workers. “So far is the country behind in its ‘bullding, so rapidly is the country d veloping and ‘its population Increas- ing, and so great is the volume of new buildings needed to replace wornout or obsolete: buildinks, that employment ‘would .remain continuous indefinitely. . The shortage problem can be solved In the very simple way puggested, but unless it s solved, the menace rot only in the bullding: in- dustry But to all Imdustries will be- BRITISH LABOR’S VIEW ‘OF RUSSIAN SITUATION J. Ramsay MacDonald Sets Forth What Course Would Be Persued by a Labor . Foreign Minister. BY J. RAMSAY MACDONALD, M. P. Mr. MacDonald is the leader of the labor. party in' England and spokcaman of the opposition. The views here expressed refloct the opinions of the British workers, and The Star prints them as such. ORD CURZON has not given up all hopes yet of picking a quarrel with Russia, and the labor and peace movements must therefore remain vigilant from day to day untilevery vestige of dan- ger has passed, These ultimatum notes proceed upon the assumption that Russla Is all but a vassal state, that we are entitled to force every claim we can file against It, while we haughtlly refuse to recognize any claim it may prefer against us. We have boasted that we have equipped white armies to fight agatnst it, and it is on record that these armles plilaged, outraged, destroyed. No natifon which could have come to conclusions with us would have tolerated for an hour what we did against Russia. Now, however, if 'Moscow hints at com- pensation for damage as some offset against our claims, our foreign office draws itself up In Pecksnifian dig- nity and replies: *“8ir, do you know you are speaking to a government that will only impose terms'and declines to dis- cuss them? ' Future Influemce at Stake. The pose may suit Lord Curzon as & person; It neither suits nor dignifies our country. The future Influence of our nation In the world does not de- pend on an early Victorian deport- ment but upon the fair-minded jus- tice which its clalms and policy em- body. The disregard shown by Lord Curson. for the latter, and his childish ‘weaknesses for the former, deprive this country of its proper place and influence. Moreover, although our foreign of- fice would like to treat the Russian government as a kitchen mald and ganda, and were there now a labor for- elgn secretary he would not do his duty if he did not demand of Moscow that this had to stop. But how would he Pproceed? Seeks to Inflame India. He would never think of putting Per- sia on the same footing as Afghanistan. In Teheran I doubt if the propaganda goes much beyond the ordinary activ- ities of rather unfriendly embassies is anything more than what we have been accustomed for many years to re- celve at the hands of Russian govern- ment; goes beyond what Sir Edward Grey used to accept with a weakness which he criticised and condemned at the time. The activities at Cabul go beyond that. They are concealed acts of war done against us, and are de- signed to promote civil war In India. But who Is responsible for the en- mity from which such action arises? In the early days of communist as- cendancy, Moscow entertained the fool- ish dream of a world revolution and ‘was encouraged in that by the reports and promises of a. handful of non- entities in this country. Moscow I8 now wiser. On the other hand, Lord Curzon shows that he has learned nothing from our failures and mistakes as regards Russia, and imagines that| the Moscow government should be ex- pected to let us alone while it has: #00d reason for belleving that, if we had a chance, we should become active conspirators against it. We cannot ex- pect peace from Moscow until we give it peace. Woula Objec: to Propaganda. A labor foreign minister would there- fore object to hostllé propaganda from Cabul just as much as Lord Curzon, but he would handle the problem quite difterently. If Moscow were now to yield to this secand note for the saki of peace, the reason for propaganda ‘would not be remaved. A_labor for- eign minister would be guarantee that we should not conspire against { Russia, and thus the propaganda would make it enter by the servant's entrance | be deprived of .an excuse. He would and accept & again does not arise from any moral loathing for the acts.of that govern- ment but from purely class prejudice. ! Tehera: If Lenin were a Horthy, or & Mussolin], { would be entitied to ask for their re- lavey's” treatment, that | ajscuss with the Moscow government Russian representatives at Cabul and if he proved his case, he or & Denikin, and. shot, hung or im-‘moval, though if he were wise he prisoned, stol territory, suppressed | would indicate ‘his just -desires and goveriments and tore' Versailles clauses ) jeave the Russians to act as mqugh on into tatters he would only \be qualify- ing for a K. C. B. But his crimes— and they have been crimes—have beén committed in an attempt to help the bottom . dog, the victim of capitalist civilisation, Therefore these notes and this pomposity and offensiveness. Now, thanks to-the desire of Mos- cow to be allowed to tackle its internal problems - unhampgred by external atrife. every has been met ex- ©opt those relatidy to propaganda. prepared to belisve that & case can ernment.on the g7 their own initiative. r : ‘While defending personal claims like those of Mrs. Stan Harding and the Huyll trawlers,-he would not al- low speculators. .and financiers who were in Ru for purely personal galn and at their own risks to pre- verit a relationship ‘which- European Peace and our own economic inter. ests ~equally demand. The - British T|®overnmient and its policy ought pot to be in the pocket, and st the end Of the Tesding sirings, of men of the ter and record of some of our e e he specific accusations against noI speculators in Russian resources. It is high time that our foreign office, if it is to maintain the rights ot British citizens abroad and at the same time keep us out of war, should have some idea of what are its responsibilities and what are not. Because a certain person or group of financlers have had property forfeited in common with Russian nationals, or have failed to get a concession, is In no respect a concern of our government and no excuse for worsening our relations with Russia. For Recognition of Russia, The first thing is to establish nor- mal diplomatic relations’ with Russ: and all the rest will follow. In ad- vocating that policy I neither con- done nor acquiesce in Moscow policy. So long as Moscow has such deeds as the suppression of Georglan liberty to its discredit it can neither have nor claim the confidence of any soclalist who has reason_ for his creed. That is not the point at present, however. Our foreign office has no concern with the opinions of forelgn governments. Its duty. is to accept governments as they exist The exceptions to that must always be rare, and Lord Curzon and the British government are the very last entitled to demand certifi- cates of moral character and legal action from governments with whom they propose to have diplomatic dea ings. This is to be a critical week, and the whols labor movement must be vigilant and active in maintaining peace and seeing that the government atops its pompous fooling. Half of All Toilers Are Tillers of Soil It is no longer true that “half the world does not know how thg, other half lives,” slyce experts In the United States Department of Agriculture, after an extensive survey, have figured out that more than half of all the people in the world wno work are engaged in agriculture. India heads the list for devotion to this basic industry, for 72 per cent of the total number of workers, including 71,000,000 males and 34,000,000 females, re thus employed. The United States comes second, hav- ing 29 per cent of all working persons wresting thelr own living and helping to feed the world-from the fruits of the soll, through the sweat of their brow. In this country there are 11,000,000 males and: 2,000,000 females tolling in agricultural pursuits. The survey covers twenty-three lead- ing countries and shows that of the oc- cupled men and boys, 514 per cent are engaged In agriculture, and of the oc- cupled women and girls, 50.6 per cent follow agriculture and itm sidelines. These figures do not include the large agricultural populations of Russia, China, Serbia, Hungary, Argentina and Brasil. This interesting information became available when the Department of Agri- culture statisticlans compiled these figures to show that problems concern- ing agricultural workers affect a larger number of workers in almost every country than those engaged in manufac- turing, mining, lumbering, or commercs, and in a few countries more tham all Wiges ofher fndustries comblned, ! i | P ! BRITISH RAIL MERGER MAY SHOW WAY TO U. S. Consolidation, Which Becomes Effective Today. Has Many Points Bearing on This Country’s Problems. BY G. GOULD LINCOLN. ERGER of the raflroad sys- tems of the United States into a score or more great L systems for greater effi- clency and economy is the adminis- tration’s proposal for solution of the transportfition problem. President Harding, in his Kansas City address last week, stated his belief in the efficacy of this proposed cure, and an administration bill, probably pre- pared by Senator Cummins of Towa, chairman of the Senate Interstate commerce committee, will be ‘oftered when Congress assembles. In his address the President re- ferred to the consolidation plan adopted by Great Britain, where, as in the United States, the rallroads, except for the period of the world war, have been in private operation, with ‘many of the same problems as in this country. Britisk Rallway Merger. Under the rallways act of 1921, to- day, July 1, the rallways of Great Britain begin officially their opera- tion in four great amalgamated groups. The British law made the merger—amalgamation as it is termed in England—into four groups com- pulsory. The companies had until December 31, 1922, to frame volun- tary combinations along the lines of the four groups provided for in the act of parllament. At the close of last year the work of amalgamation had proceeded almost to its conclu- sion. In fact, there was compara- tively little for the amalgamation tribunal set up by the act to do. The fact that the railways themselves were able to reach such agreements is regarded as a tribute to the abil- ity of the British to reach sensible compromises. The fact was recognized in Great Britain, as here, that in order to bring sbout the consolidation of strong railway companies with the weaker a compulsory law was neces- sary. The British were not ham- pered in framing such a law by cer- tain constitutional provisions found in this country which may make it impossible to compel mergers of privately owned railroad companies without the government first con- demning and taking over the rail- road properties in question. So the British, believing that amalgamation of the roads would result in benefit to the people, went ahead and passed a compulsory law. And that is what the administration will attempt at the next session of Congress here. Tried Government Operation. The rallways in Great Britain in the last decade have had an expe- rience not unlike that of the roads in this country. For seven years, be- ginning with the war in 1914, they were operated by the government. The government pald to the owners of the roads the net income which they received in 1913, during the pe- riod of government operation. After the armistice the wages and prices paid by the roads in England soared. Rates for freight and pas- senger service, however, were tardily Increased until 1920, when there were drastic increases in rates. But then business fell off. It was too late to put the roads on their feet again, 80 to speak. The plan for the merger of the roads in Great Britain was ad- vanced by the ministry of transpor- tation, with Sir Eric Geddes at its head. The principal idea of the ad- vocates of the plan was that it would bring about great efficlency and sav- ings in the cost of operation. Sir Erlc estimated that the annual sav- ing would run as high as 20,000,000 pounds, or approximately $100,- 000,000. Possibilities of Saving. When it is recalled that the rail- road mileage in Great Britain is about one-tenth of what it is in the United States, the $100,000,000 saving would, If the saving per mile of road were the same here as estimated for Great Britain, result in the of a billion dollars annuaily in the operation of American roads under a merger plan. Of course, there are those who contend the amalgamation of the British roads into four groups is mot going to result ia any such great saving as Sir Eric has hoped for, and the saving has been esti- mated by more conservative judges at $20,000,000 annually, instead of $100,000,000. In Great Britain, which does not include Ireland, there were 214 separate rallroad properties at. the close of 1921. The act of parliament provided for the combination of 121 saving | of the roads into four groups. This left 93 properties, many of them light roads and electrically operated, some of them in and about London. The country, including England, Scotland and Wales, was divided up into four areas, with a railroad group in each area. These groupa have been named: The Southern Rallway; the Great Western; the London, Midland and Scottish Rall- way, and the London and Northeast- ern Rallway. Trafic Stll Competitive. The four new groups, It is sald, are very far from having an actual monopoly of the territories the serve. The bulk of the traffic, it is sald, it still competitive. The plan in this country, @ now advanced, Is to have from twenty to thirty-five great competitive systems. In the United States the great problem of merging the rallroads will be thatvof finance. The sugges- tion has been made that If the mergers are to be compulsory the government will have to condemn the rallroad properties, issuing short-time securities for them, and then turn them over to newly organ- ized private corporations, and that the securities of the new corpora- tions will be used to pay for the properties. Such a plan presents many difficulties, but it is predicted would be far easier of consummation than bringing about an agreement among the owners of many railroads as to the value they should receive for the properties in the proposed mergers. In Great Britain the problem of amalgamation has been largely one of finance also. The plan adopted was to figure on the railroad values of 1913, the last normal year, and in the exchange of securities—giving the owners of the old, the new se- curitles—an effort was made to see that the owners would get the same return on their investment as before. More Difficult in United States. The problem of consolidation in this country is admittedly much larger and more difficult than fin Great Britain. Under the Cummins- Esch transportation act, returning the roads to private operation after the war, provision was made for a study of consolidation plans by the Interstate Commerce Commission,’ and the publications of the comm! sion's suggestions for such consoli- dations. The commission, acting un- der this authority, had Prof. William Z. Ripley of Harvard University pre- pare a plan. The Ripley plan pro- vided for twenty-one systems. The | commission modified this pla that nineteen systems were provided, but in the main stuck to Prof. Rips- ley's suggestions. This tentative plan was made public in August, 1921. Since then the commission has been holding hearings in Washington and in all parts of the country on the | proposed mergers. It still Is to have hearings In New England this sum- mer. But it is a fair supposition that the commission will have ts final p:san riady for publication by the time Congress meets in December. Left to the Railroads. Under the transportation act that is as far as the commission can go. If thé roads care to avall themselves of the consolidation plans advanced by the commission they may do so, but there is nothing in law compell- ing them to do so. As a matter of fact, at the hearings the rallroads have advanced many arguments agalnst the consolidations proposed by the commission and have indicat- ed clearly they will not merge unless they are forced to do so. In the Cummins bill as it originally was introduced and passed by the Senate provision was made for com- pulsory consolidation of the roads into from twenty to thirty-five sys- tems. But in conference with the House the compulsory feature was dropped. The Cummins bjll also pre- vided for the creation of a transpor- tation board to prepare plans for the consolidations and went Into great detall regarding the mergers. But those provisions went out also in conference. Senator Cummins, it is known, be- lleves that the provisions of his orig- inal bill will meet very largely thse ideas of the administration, and the new measure designed to force merg- ers probably will resemble it to a- marked extent. Urges That China Needs Assistance Of Powers to Protect Foreigners Something must be done in China | impotence of the Peking & by outside powers to prevent recar- rence of such an episode as the recent train hold-up by bandits, T. F. Ap- pleby of New Jersey, a member of the Sixty-seventh Congress, who Is now in the far east on a mission for Secretaries Hughes and Hoover, and who visited the scene a few hours after the hold-up, has advised Wash- ington officials and colleagues fn Congress. Intervention by America, England and Japan is recommended by Mr. Appleby in letters which have just reached the capital. Mr. Appleby has been travellng on the railroad be- tween Tientsin and Shanghal since the hold-up. Characterizing It as an “outrage” and as “the most impudent case of band'try that has happened in China,” Mr. Appleby said that steps must be taken ‘“not only to save ‘this tmpor- tant republic from further falling into decadence but also to protect an Important juncture of the intern: tional highway linking Peking and Shanghal”™ Mr, Appleby severely criticizes the nt toward the rescue of innocent jiussen= gers, including Americans and Buro- peans, who were captives and in grave danger for weeks. The bandit outrage and the subsequent failure of. the Peking government speedily to release American and European captives most strikingly discloses the fact that China Is powerless to gov- ern herself and s devold of abllity a soverelgn state, Mr. Appleby s “It is unthinkable that such an ace eldent should have occurred on the best ralirdad in China,” he said. *I do not mean to blame China for her every fault, but I am inclined ‘to sympathize with young China and pray for her satisfactory progress toward modern civilization. “Therefore, 1 particularly desire that something be jointly ‘done by America, England and Japan in China to save the latter from further falling into degeneration. It is high time that China should be brought under some {nternational political contrel for her present predicament of . imw ° potence is a menace to worid peace.”