December 25, 1916 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



21 



recent visit of the committee investigatiiig the location of sites 

 favorable for the federal loan banks. It was realized at the time 

 that these banks would furnish the necessary capital, at low interest 

 and on easy terms for repayment, for the development of the lands 

 in question and the idea of forming such an association as that which 



has just been launched originated with the coming of this body. The 

 time is quite ripe for the work to be undertaken by the association, 

 and the members of the new organization are confident that they 

 not only have a rich field to develop, but that they will meet with 

 abundant success in their efforts to that end. 



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Transportation Conference Held 



The Central States conference on rail and water transportation 

 that was held in Evansville, Ind., on Thursday and Friday, December 

 14 and 15, was the most important meeting of its kind ever held in 

 that city, if not in the central western states. The meeting was con- 

 ceived by the Evansville Chamber of Commerce, under whose 

 auspices it was held. Six states were represented at the conference 

 as follows: Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio and Ten- 

 nessee. Many important problems of trausportation were discussed 

 by men of national and international reputations. Several hundred 

 visitors and delegates attended. 



The conference proved to be both educational and constructive 

 and it is expected that as a result other meetings of similar char- 

 acter will be held in other states of the country. It is also expected 

 that another result of the conference will be the formation of some 

 jiermanent organization of the central western states to arrange for 

 annual meetings when problems of transportation may be discussed. 

 Evansville royally entertained the visitors and they went away 

 feeling that a great work had been accomplished. 



The conference was called to order at 9:30 o'clock on Thursday 

 morning, December 14. Henry C. Murphy, of Evansville, was chosen 

 permanent chairman of the conference. The first main address was 

 delivered by Alfred P. Thorn, counsel of the Railway Executive Ad- 

 visory Committee on Federal Legislation and general counsel for the 

 Southern Eailroad, his subject being, "The Needs of American 

 Railroads. ' ' He said the railroad problem is one of the most im- 

 portant that faces the American people and that it had been twenty- 

 nine years since government regulation of railroads was adopted 

 by the United States. "While there had been great improvements 

 along certain lines, Mr. Thom said the people are agreed that con- 

 ditions are not yet satisfactory. He stated that the railwav' com- 

 mittee will ask for a strengthening of the commerce commission and 

 increase in its power over rates; that the duties of detection, cor- 

 rection and punishment be relegated to a subordinate commission; 

 that these be regional subordinate commissions majiing possible 

 more intimate understanding of local needs, their decisions to be 

 subject to review by the general body. 



He said the executives will also ask that the commission be given 

 power to name minimum as well as maximum rates so as to avoid 

 the possibility of discriminating advantage to one community or 

 commodity over another. 



Congress will be asked to shorten the period for suspended rates 

 from ten months to sixty days, with the provision that the shipper 

 be reimbursed if the result is unfavorable to the carrier. 



On Thursday afternoon, John Muir, president of the Railway In- 

 vestors' League, spoke on "The Real Owner of the Railroads — the 

 Investor — ^Wliy He Is Worried Over the Present Situation, and How 

 Fair Treatment Will Induce Him to Supply a Solution of Present 

 American Transportation Problems." Mr. Muir pointed out that 

 more and more, peopile are buying railroad stocks and securities, and 

 that many of these railroad securities are held by men and women 

 of moderate means in this country. He said that these people who 

 have invested their money are the real owners of the railroads and 

 are the ones, who, above all others, are interested in all problems 

 pertaining to the railroads. He described the Railway Investors' 

 League, saying that it is growing rapidly and that the men who had 

 promoted the league wanted every man and woman in the country 

 who owns a single share of stock in a railroad to become a member. 



An address was made by Lansing H. Beach, colonel in charge of 



the corps of United States engineers that has charge of the improve- 

 ments on the Ohio river, his "subject being, "The Improvement of 

 the Ohio River." At the close of this address, the conference passed 

 resolutions asking for the continued improvement by the govern- 

 ment of the Ohio river and its tributaries. Several of the delegates 

 informally discussed the question of river improvements. 



Several important addresses were made during the session Friday. 

 Clifliord Thome, chairman of the Board of Railway Commissioners 

 of Iowa, was on the program for an address on, "Does Regulation 

 Pay?" He pointed out that regulation of the railroads by the state 

 and federal governments did pay. He also stated that since regula- 

 tion began, discrimination in freight rates has been largely elim- 

 inated; that the rebate had almost passed out of existence; that the 

 pass nuisance had been curbed and that many other things had 

 been accomplished. As chairman of the Board of Railway Com- 

 missioners of Iowa, Mr. Thome has made many noted decisions and 

 he is regarded as a friend of the shippers. 



Mr. Thome was followed by W. G. Lee, president of the Brother- 

 hood of Railway Trainmen, speaking on "The Hours and Working 

 Conditions of the Railway Employes. ' ' He reviewed the long fight 

 waged last fall between the railroads of the country and the various 

 railway brotherhoods and said that the brotherhoods were right in 

 their contention. Before the conference adjourned, Mr. Lee made 

 the important announcement that there was a move on between the 

 railroads and brotherhoods at this time, which looked as though 

 they would be able to get together and settle their differences, in 

 which event the brotherhoods might ask for the repeal of the Adam- 

 son law. This remark was greeted with loud applause. 



Another important speaker was Frank P. Walsh, of Kansas City, 

 Mo., chairman of the Federal Relations Commission. He defended 

 the eight-hour feature of the Adamson law and said that it was in 

 keeping with the march of civilization. 



Other speakers at the conference were, J. E. Edgerton, president 

 of the Tennessee Manufacturers' Association; G. A. Freer, president 

 of the National TrafSc League and J. M. Glenn, secretary of the 

 Illinois Manufacturers' Association. 



The conference closed on Friday night with a banquet at the 

 New Vendome hotel, covers being laid for about 400 people. J. A. E. 

 Hobson of Evansville was toastmaster. Frank Trumbull, chairman 

 of the Railway Executives Advisory Committee on Federal Legisla- 

 tion, spoke at the banquet on "The American Railways," and N. C. 

 Kingsbury, vice-president of the American Telephone and Telegraph 

 Company, on "Co-Operation." The )nain feature of the banquet 

 was the transcontinental telephone demonstration, connecting Evans- 

 ville with Washington, D. C, Boston, New York, Chicago, San 

 Francisco and other cities. Among those who talked over the long 

 distance telephone to the banqueters were Thomas R. Marshall, 

 Vice-President, Robert Lansing, Secretary of State, Josephus 

 Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, Hiram Johnson, governor of Cali- 

 fornia and United States senator-elect of that state. There were 

 four hundred individual telephones at the banquet table. 



One of the handicaps to using motor trucks for either log or 

 lumber hauling on country roads is the weakness of many of the 

 bridges. This condition is being improved and in time bridges 

 will be strengthened almost everywhere, but meantime the man 

 who buys a truck for a long haul must take into consideration 

 the question of bridges. 



