, 1873-02-19

aIeo been shown that railway companies, In thotr
eSaors ew su moro @ linn Parlia@ont mt oYor tougt Of
rodiiiring that thirtlonsB traf1io ia ono Of tl6
most growing SOURCES OF profit, aud that tho
prescott operation @ Of tho apeolal Legislation on
tho gubieet ID to glyo worry questionable ox-
onlptlon from general railway taxation5 to croato
corifueon mud litigation, and to glvo tho oompe-
nieu Inducements for withholding from third.
otnorwlno giyo. Tho ill.auccoss OF this attompt
NAV we'll Justify hesitation lit ontoring upon fur
@ ther gonoral legislation Of tho salno kind."
The familiar law IN forco on tho Now York
Ceutral Roal an0 which IL worry frequently cttol
na an inatanco Of tho HuccosBful operation aim
nlo laws regulating faros fR of a diiroront ohAr-
aoter. Undor It two conts por milo Is tho regular
faro which tito road ls nllosod to charge, and tho
or ratos Of speed. No pnckagc, communication OF
eoason tlchol is sold at any reduced ratio, and
consequently the man who travels ovory day and
by accommodation train pays exactly tho snmo
rate e cents) I'or milo rs no who travels once
When q similar Inv, applying to all roadB in
tho Commonwealth paying moro than per cent
dividends por annun,, wns proposed IN tho Logs,
1at,,ro Of 1871 tho discussion upon 1t ollcitcd
aucl unexpected rosuts from, its operation that
tho u,oaaure wns rojoctod. For instance, though
tho bill was lin1itod to roads paying annual
dividonds of epor cent and n upwards tho eject
which either paid loss dividends, or, IN somo
coeos, lad mover paid any dividend at all prao-
tically threatening such roads with bankruptcy.
Again, there iB not considerable ooe1nose
centro in tho Commonwealth which Ia not sur
rounded by towns in which people have settled,
built housos, and cffoctoa every arrangement
for residence, relying upon regular and very
cheap access by rail to their placos Of daily bust
conts mile for tho oomnlutation ratos at which
such porsona now travel would noccsaltato an
c1tiro chango In their modes Of life. Such
svstem might work well where community has
1t~trc cror n
Of Legislature introduced into q community
which has established itself under tho dsHcrimf-
mating tnrilrs always hitherto in uge In Massa,
cllusctts tho Commissioners do not 500 how 1t
could fail to produce most dieaBtrons rosnltB.
How serious, ne regards regular season. n-tiokot
uasscngors, such change would bo may DO in
terrol from an examination OF the tables at tho
close Of this report (No. 127). It will be seen
State, inatcad Of paying 2 conts per mile, now
roy but from X conts to IL centa por mile.
The rulo of uniform mileage rate ia also who'll
ly opposed to tho fundamental principle Of ta1-
ntiou TINT tho burden should In hll caseg DO 30
imposed as to rest most heavily where it will bo
leaat folt. The mnu who travels every day ovor
agivcn route, has right, Oh ovory principle Of
economy, to buy passage at wholesale rates,
Of great momont; wheroas, it ia Of comparative
lylittlo consequence whAt ho pays, within reaeon-
nGlo limits, to the mRn WHO trayela vory raroly.
A law, therefore, which imposes m additional
the occasional ono docs not aecm to place the
burden Of taxation whero 1t Ia least felt.
THO Commissioners are inclined to believe
that tha syatom Of discriminating rates now
not only mora profitable to the corporations
than tho uniform price per mile eyetom Of the
New York roads, but It Of tile same timo is more
advantageous to tho travelling community
through Its practical adjustment OF tho burden.
Tho equal-milcago rate has not. only beon
found to DO wrong In principle, but its universal
application is apparently out Of, tho question.
might Indeed b9 s oxPsaiSnes
wore consolidated into ono corporation, and
operated by ono responsible management
In such cnzo 1t would be possible
to sds hdss an ., average os 1or@n End sy thu %nnfne
tenn countcrbalanco tho loascs on another, arrive
at tho basin Of law. Such policy Of consoli
dation, however, has novor boen encouraged by
tho Legislature OF MASSACHUSETTS,. Ihoro arc
accordingly, now in this Stnto no less than fifty.
five corporations, owning On an uyoraga fort,
miles Of road each, Nhlo Bomo thirty-lve dis
tinct Bonrda Of hIanagoIs control abont Bi1t,
miles each, varying from 25O miles IN the CO case o
tho Fail Rivor, Warron & Providence. Thoa
corporations represent almost every conceivable
form Of railroad existence: some aro YER
wealthy, others are very poor and yet othera ar
soma arc througll-roads, others arc loca
branches; BONE run through largo citioe AM
through q Lowell and denBoy populated rogion
eparsoly settled districts; some find their prof
III carrying pabsengers, others In carrying
freight, and yet others in tho two combined
soma derive a largo income from tho suburban
rsSs sSe searce e slSs any o oea It %
such systeIn ns this and to apply to it ono hard
uuyielding Inv Of charges, would 10 an export
ment which the mo,nbors Of this Boar @
Are not prepared to recommend. In. thel
mir In Yck
but impossible OF application.
It remains to consider tho expodionoy Of Rpecfa
laws regulating in detail tho charges Of partiou
lar roads; and general laws classifying roads
and regulating charges in accordance with suc
clnBsiilcations. discriminating for all possib]
differences OF condition ylosaitudes Of traffic
Tho procodents for special laws regulating i
dotail the charges Of cortain roads to which alon
they ere applicable, are very numerous in Eurt
pcan legislation. They have, however, by .
means, resulted advnntageously. OF them til
Parliamentary Committee OF 1872, Gays: Legt
maximum rates afford little real protection to Il,
public, since thoy arc always 4l1od 80 high thu
1t u.s. or becomes soonor or lator, the interest {
tho Companiea to carry at lowar rates. I'll
namo thing is trno Of terminal charges. I'll
circumstances nre 60 various, and 30 constant
changing TINT any legal maxima which migl
now DO lixcd would probably be abovetllo charge
now actually made, certainly far nbovo thor
which will hereafter bo made. Indocd attempt
mado in 1861 and 1860, to fix q maximum Il
terminaB broke down, because tho only max
mum that could be agreed upon was 80 much b
yond tho charge then actually made to ooal-ow1
ers that the coal-owners feared it would lead
rise in that CHARGE"
And again-"!rhe attempt to limit ratos u
fares by tho principle Of fixing maximum h
almost always failed in practice, and ia alno
always likely to fail, for tho simple renson tt
the Parliamentary Committees and authoritle
by whom such lmits nro decided, cannot do OF
crwise than allow aomo margin between tho NJ
uel probable rate, rs fur as thoy can forecast
aud the maximum ratio; and cannot foresee Il
contingencies of competition, OF increase
qualltitios, :of facilities or economy in workin
Or Of alteration r.! Of comnlercia conditions. Viii
its have boon arranged by thcm."
Tho result Of thirty years Of nuccoHsive al
wholly abortive- offort in thia direction in En-
land has been that Parliament haa ut last sett
down in the conviction TINT tho development
and nocessties Of trade in practice always ha
nulliaed, and inevitably must nulllfy the pr
visions ot special acts, no matter how careful
nnd ali1fu12v t11nv runv In rfnnnraf. Fuhia tn