, 1873-02-19
izod undor what woro called coucessLons, which
woro very similar to Tho English charters, to go

| on with extensions.
Those oonoosaions wore ,nade for term Of
nfnoty yohrH, ct tlto expiration OF which tImo the
railway, with a ttnrol1ing Is to become The
property Of tho Government which ia bound,
sogS to e asoa vSo' sao for the 9
right Of buying back tl,e concossion At my timo
upon tho payn1ent, for tho ,inoxproa portion OF
tho torn, OF III annuity, to bo eomputda on tho
9 no aTeFgs oI recGp ang
Tho private companies organized under t1lcao
ooncosaions rccoived no subsidies or aBBstanco
from The State. oxcopt In oortain ioolato1 caaos
ropayrnont. Tloy owned aud operatol their SOW
oral roa1s mitch as Tho corporations in Mnasn-
chusetts do theirs. Meanwhile tho Btato lines,
holding the censro % Of tho country a'dntorcopting
coiyedgroat benoht from tho development
Of tho ayatom In 17llatoYer drooton 1t took plaoo.
nnSF tha af II IN 1sf hG State hold
and the private companion 30 per cont. In 1860,
howovor, tho proportion had changed, tho pri.
yato companies holding 1 sg % por cent whilo The
oess!ong tho Government did not follow any plan
of distributing or dividing tho country among tho
private companies, or guaranteeing any mo-
l,opoly to t4on; on the contrary, i not only ro-
izing competing lines. From this policy there
resulted n competition botwoon tho stato and
tho corporation lines, which, as consolidation
hs sue vHs she e to y'0 of
MEANWHILE, about 1850, tho humorous email
independent companies, finding themselves
pressed by this vigorous competition, began to
trunk linos and associations powerful enough 70 70
hold their own ngainnt the Government and to
compete with If on equal terms. In order to
maintain its preponaornnce, the Government
did go, both BY constructing and lcasing addition
tho% % whoo belgium m ralroaa milengo 1VsS
\ ,t1rrN k14 &f.S-
from twonty to six hundred and fifty miles Of
road oaoh, controlled about 5B. por cont Of
tho total, ;and tho Government controlled tho
Tho maximum rates Of farcs and freight Which
tho private companios may charge arc horo, as
In England, regulated by tariffs inserted In thoir
original concosalons nee Operating within this
pso y 1aR0pSGs sa IN sS ea
limited; nor Ia my provision mndo for red%o-
being roalizod. 49,.
company Is allowed, with the consent Of tho
Minister Of Public Works, to raise or lower its
charges, provided that 1t docs 80 in . perfect,
ly general manner, and without individual
public notice. In practice, however, little
| attention hag boon paid to these restrictions,
and tho torns Of tho formal tariff of charges
have not been put in force. Tho compnnieB
both raise aud lowcr their rates at discretion,
and give special rates for carriago Of merclian-
;, disc.
The only mattor In which tho Government In
terfcres formally with tho administration Of tho
railways, is In questions Of safety and police, !;
| to supotyHo tleso tloy have b department,
which has officers In different parea Of tho
country, but, Bayo in this respect, tho officers
regard to tho guaranteed lincn thoro il no powor
OF supervising or compelling tho rendering Of
! accounts. ~
Il Hr7t0 NJ I'm nf
apgcial contracts through rates, traffic arrango-
ments, and running powers between connecting
roads have boon aolyod while tho service is per-
| formed at rates which arc satisfactory to tho
public There can DO little doubt that this has
II resulted from the action of tho Government,
though oircumstnncoa, in Bomc dogreo fortu-
itous, tended to force IN active policy upon tho
Government. Since the consolidation OF tho
companies, tho history OF any railway question
in Belgium las, indeed, been tho history of tho
, State, ncting, as tho richest and most powerful
r company, against othor companies. competitors
, who were dealing upon equal terms with it.
, ornment, when pressed By, tho competition oi
pursuedby them. It hogan to work upon "coul.
1noroinl prinoiploH." In order to got busnoRs or
to its lines, it made special contracts md special
tariffs and 1t sustained a Bevero competition,
5 jont-purso M arrange gomsnt, @ t. under IN agroonons
with it's adveraarioa. Yot tho State, acting NJ
independent company, haa boon able to makt
i example to coorco tho private lines into follow
> ing it's lead. At tho same time there Is Mt lsas
II room for doubt whethor, il IT had not boon fo
. tho pressure Of competition, tho State woult
o Tho measures Of tho Government have Doe,
most vohemently criticised by private companies
o who have complained that their property va
= Of tariffs, nude without sufficient cause and upo
). unsound principles, but Which. from thoir posi-
i tion they wore in whole OF in part compelled t
0 adopt. The Government, however, having th
O public purse to back 1t, being supported by pub
t to opinion, and hnying adominaht position irou
being owner Of tho bost or nearly all Of tho boa
l. lines, had no Mood Of any further power to cor
a troll tho private companies, when once 1t boga1
II ing Oh footing of equality in matter Of rates
i; facilitioH, or purchase, it has been abl
to lead Or drive tho companies to adon 1anl
" anything bnt tho moral influence of it's position
or T. ia almosta nccoBaary consequonco; that thi
g state Of things should end IN tho dominant part
% taking tho whole OF tho lines. There hns Doe
at period when tile parties wero equal, and who
n n sorb tho other At tha present moment tue pr
st is put ii end to- by aettling oyory question Q
in rates, routes, or faeities, upon principles MT
ID tually accepted. Tho whole of tho lines vii
L. however,: probably pass into tho hands Of th
~ State. For, In spite Of tho hostility aud cri
D. lcism Of ita opponents tho Government la
es been able to carry through it's measures und ha
a made fair financial SUCCESS, inaemuoh aa til
th last yoar will probably show 4 net return Of
in per cont upon the invested capital.
to rnASoE.
IN The French railroad syatena was not begun 6
ly early aB that either Of Belgium or Of Grcat Br
ea tnin Nlne :groat lines wero organizod uneorth th
ut reign OF Louis Philippe in lBf2, seven Of whic
~ wore intended to connect Paris with the frontie
es countries or tho seaboard, aud two were provi1
es oial roads. This condition of things lasted unt
to 1863, whom new arrangement WIS effected
10 tho Government through tho consolidation (
Of existing lines, by which Franco was III effe,
1T partitioned out among six great companies,
Es each OF which dlNtlnot territory was ail1ttet
1t In consideration OF this arrangement oaoh 4
l. these companies undertook tho more compfo
a development Of the railroad Hystonl within ita di
IL riot. subsequently this b9raonwas found groat.
| Ian tho companies EQutu bGnf, anu fGGDllrt