, 1874-01-10
RAILROADS.
Synopsis Of tho Report Of Tho Railroal
Commissioner Of Minnesota.
Extract from thu Message Of the Gov.
ernor of Missouri.
Tao Rnllrond Commissioners OF Min.
l1CHnfn.


Taac nnilrond Commissioner OF Min.
lcHOtn.
Tho annual report OF tho nailroad Cotnml8.
aionor OF Sflnnosota, a. ], Edgcrton as synop-
sizca by tho ST. Paul Press, prcsonts tho follow
Ing factB:
The t otom,1mtssionsr n makoa tho aato oundlng
fourth OF tho whole nroa OF tho Btato. hayo hmm
granted TO railroad companies, other by tic
uetoral 9oVernm9nt Or hoStato. This amount
~ mado up Of IL la26o 6 900 acros granted by Con-
sss hs1s sea aresdy boSSa ~ ss tss st t.
panios. Of thia AMOUNT tho companies admit
contracts Of salo TO tho extent Of GGO,090 acres.
Add to slioao tracts disposed Of In large quatti-
Tics which have passed heretofore as belonging
to Tho companies, md havo only recently heoii'
placed on tho tax lists, aud tho aggregate
Hwolls to 1,43i,35a acraB. Tic amount ro-
ported As rocoivc1 from, land Bales IL 81 1928 0i7
Ehat!na1ng for r. concealed salcs, hc makes the
total ~ .3l3. .l80 received from snlca and oou-
trnctB OF snlo. Within tho year tho companies
have sold 900 acres at MI average OF al, ID
per noro, ranging from s2.5 to $50 pcr aoro.
The Commissioner notices tim fact that quite
reduction Of Tho rates Of transportation las
takcn place during tho last lvo yoars, and quotes
testimony to tho fact that tho general and itoyi-
tab1o tendency Of rairoal operations is to lover
rates for all classics of service.
omlttiug tho Northern paciao, which has iast-
cd 10 report the Minnesota Division BY itsclf,
aud tho st. Paul d Pacific, which Is ID e.; yery
Incomplete state.. every milo Of road il,
this s,ate. with tioao exceptions, rem.
rosents on the average 81, 1856 Of stock issued
aud s91 DIG Of debt. Tho groHs earnings for tho
cont more than last year. Or this amount %
per cent tH from passengers, and tho rost from
freight, mails and oxpross.
Tho Con,misBlonor calls attention to the fact
that nearly oyory railroad company in tue stata
regulating tho rates Of freight aud faro.
The Commissioner concludes the toxt OF his
report with III abo aud interesting discussion OF
the absorbing question of tho duy-Whnt arc tho
proper romedtcs for reasonable rates? lIcshows
that any reliance On tho effect Of competition
is ilusory. Experience Inns demonatrat-
oi that stoyonson's opinion that "Wnoro cor
solidatiou is possible, competition is ia1pogsl-
bic" IL tr1lism 30 fur as it rolatcs to ralroaus
pecially tho testimony Of Capt. Tylor who de-
clares compotiipu to bs myth. Wlloroyer 1t llas
exlstcd ut oil, it has resulted only iu closer COM
blnation. Tho tendency Of all rai1road corpora
tions In England IL to complete an,algamation,
abaorlt|on IN one one huge 1nonopoly. The only
laud or Hea navigation. This English experience
is confirmed by that Of all our olaor States. I'm
quostionab!y. then. wo must look elsewhere
tllan to conpetition for, reasonable rail-
lOAA 1ALEds 4uD commissioner then UtQ-
csods 10 discuss tho question, Shall tho
state .purehase,. or condemn nndor tho
right OF cmlnont domain, tie railroads, aud run
thcm In tho interest of the Eeoplo !? Tho Com
missioner objects to this on tho ground oi its
centralizing toudencics, aud Of tic cost to the
State OF purchasing or condemning tho roads.
Tho cost by anlica6le purchase ho estimates nj
s5B, 700, 900, or by condemnation, S97, $50, 600.
Ho equally objects to condemniug tho toad-bed
aud allowing persons or companies to run thsir
own trains, which was Gov. Davis suggestion,
10 tile plan of rnixotl ownership, advocated by
Atr. Adams, QUO OF tho 1sailroad Commissioners
Of Massachusetts,. and by tho Press Lo also
objects, as inapplicable to tho conditions oxist-
ing in this stee though It may oporate very vol
iu Belgium, whorc it originated, or iu MasBachu-
aetts He prefers this the possession Of ali tho
lines though this hazardous remedy is only to
bo tried when all other means Of rslief and re-
form havo beon exhausted. Ho concludes tLat
onr only relief for tho present lies in Legislation
Referring to tho faultiuoss OF the max,n,,,m
rate law Of 1871, be saws it was not intondoj M
final settlement Of rites. but to test aud sott1o
tho priuciplo whether tlie Lccisiaturo Ina the