Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-12-20

a
SHALL THEY EG PUBLIC PROP
ERTfz
4 question which IS be.emiug every day
of greater mom-utrslaa es tathe management
Of our means of communication and tran,
porration We have become habiJuated ts
turnpike roads, cJsty bridges, aud post
Offices owned aud supported at the public
expense buJ Il gives H- u1 slight shock 20
think Of ouT railroads and telegraph lines
taking the same course. and passing from
private control and monopoly into the service
Of the community. Ia Europe she idea is
more familiar than here for in several of
/ the Continental countries the Government
has either built or runs the railroads or
both. la SyltZerian3, as DR.. Howe has
lately stated, the telegraph lines are ali IN
the hands Of the Government with what
result we shall see hereafter At the late
Social Science Congress IN Ireland. a pro
tractrd discussion was bad of the question
whether the Imperial Government ought
TO buy out the Irish railways. and run them
for lower rate of fare aud freight One Of
the most enlightened speakers (Mr Gait
urged strongly this course. he said, among
other things
There was a line which should be drawn
between where the State might aud ought
not TO interfere. Where one man could
compete with another there might not be
any Government Interference; where there
was m0Gopolg, then it was the Guty Of the
State 10 interfere On behalf of the public
Hear, hear, and applause. If one mao
could strike on plan by which to make a
siXpenuy loaf at the cost of one half penny,
1t dill not follow tnat the maker would seek
TO get a sIEpeucs. tba price Obtained by 9th
ers who bad not his secret He might pre-
/ fer to -eli al twouuncc, thTeepeuCe, or four
/ pence. SO as to increase consumption and
make greater profits Thereby Hear 4
book sold az first at "a guinea and a half had
lately been Sold at siypence. The works of
Sir Walter Scott, for example. These cases
illustrates how railways might make great
profits with lower fares He then referred
to the difference Of fares ia the kingdoms.
The London and North western Railway
Company charged for 100 miles as follows !:
First class, los. 3D., second class, Is.
lid; third class, IS. I'D. London and
Y Yorkshire Company Ills, Ss. I'd. The
Great Northern aud Western Of Ireland
lSs. ID, 2s. 9d., aud s.. 81. These ex-
amples Of fares showed what high rate was
paid IN Ireland ln Belgium the rates we're
even much lower than % the Caled0niau,
auu tait- dt5tfL-I 4teLtt.tl Lh itEE AtDaFitl-
meut there managing the railway system of
! the country. Great progress bad been made
or this question ia Parliament lie then
referred to a.. the movements taken last
session by the peers aud members of Parlia-
ment for ireland, and Of their meeting with
I Lord Derby ou the subject and he hoped
for the best results from these proceedings
The railways of ireland might be bought for
el9 300. 600 and the profits would afford
the Government ample ma1cln to greatly
reduce the fares. without loss 70 the revenue
and with great advantage 90 The community.
The rate here mentioned rs charged on
the English aud Irish railways are, on the
whole, higher than ours. and much higher
than such rates a prevail by special leglsla-
tiou on the New York Central Road. There
is 30 doubt they could he greatly reduced.
and Sfiil bring fair profit % the owaers.
The PRINCIPAL advocate Of this change IN
our customs ia the United States Is Mr.
josiah Quincy, oi Boston lie has address
cd boards of trade, legislative committees,
and other organizations, urging that