Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-09-20
IA aanraster fntelliasnrsr.
THURSDAY EVENING. SEPT, 40. 1888.
Tho RaI,road UmpIres Function.

through business, teSllneS Dtipio th'
congressional committee in explanation
OF his duties. lie regards his. oii.ce as
n bureau of information for the railroad
companies sustaining it. He finds out
everything of interest TO the movers of
freights. He discovers how heavy a
charge different kinds Of freight will
bear at different seasons of the year, and
advises his companies thereof. Then he
determines what portion of the freight
competing companies should carry, lie
regards his office rs beneficial one to
the public as well as to the railroads,
since 1t is important to business interests
that stcadiness in carrying charges shall
be established. Aud there is no doubt
that this is really desirable ; though it
Is not desirable to the business cOmmu-
nifty that it should have steady high
freight charge instead of steady low
one. Mr.. Fink, however, considers that
freight charges will never be made too
high through his bureau, since natural
causes will always keep them down.
lie cites water transportation rs one of
such causes and very important pro
lection it Is. There is also protection in
the number of competing companies :
for although they are combined under
the single control of Mr.. Fink as to their
rates of freight, the higher those rates
are made the greater is the temptation 10
each company to attempt to steal more
than its share. Mr.. Fink finds it very
difficult to prevail upon them to deal
honestly with each other. As long as
there is enough freight Offering to keep
them busy all around he has an easy
berth bat this seldom happens. The
carrying facilities are generally greater
than the demand, and the tendency in a
wants is not to be restrained by its
agreement to take only a part of the
business it can get. Without Mr.. Fiuks
Office the different carrying companies
would contend with each other for
freight until they were all bankruptcd.
Then they would be reorganized under
a smaller capital and would be able to
do business at smaller charges. The
country generally would be benefited.
Mr.. Fink's duty is 20 stay this natural
process, and to enable the heavily cay
italized railroads TO earn dividends
While he is doing this other railroads
are being built, with the expectation Of
getting the business Of the older
roads becauJe they can do it
cheaper. If their projectors would
build good roads rs cheap as possible and
capitalize them at their actual cost, they
would not need to join Mr.. Fink's poOl
to get all the business they can do. But |
the temptation to make a big profit |
speedily is too great for them 10 resist |
and they get up an inside construC. ion |
company, which is very moderate in It's
appetite If it does not make more than |
a hundred per cent. profit on its adven |
ture in building the railroad.
Take Mr.. Eanderblrs rev road, for
instance, through Pennsylvania. It is
~ be built by the American construction
company and the road Is to give away
thousand dollars in its stock for every
thousand dollars in bonds subscribed by
its projectors and their friends. Thus in
the first step taken the road is Capital
l2sd at double the amount it pays its
construction company and there may
be still further profit 10 that ceCh.
There is m explanation here Of the pro-
test made to tho governor and Iegisla
ture that the $4,000 of stock and bonds
authorized by tie general railroad law
would not suffice to build this road,
which it was said was to b. car
ried 1T an enormous cost and
nearly Il dead level over tho
hills and valleys of the state Ir
this ROAD is ever built it Will probably
have 50 great IL capital to earn interest
on that it Will apply To come in uude,.
Mr.. Fink's protecting wing and beg a
share of the business that is going. But
some day this nice way of making for
tune by building railroad, leaving sub
sequent owners to lose theirs in running
1t, VIII come to an end. It is not "A very
lively business even now. There isnotbiup
very inviting in railroad property rail.
road projects. We have an over supyly.
for the present. When Mr. Fink gets to
the end of his rope in his rifur, to rive
living subsistence to his numerous
hungry clients, they will 60 under llr
auctioneer'5 hammer and railroads will
be cheap.
Commissioner Fink does not want the
government to own the railroads as they
do on the European continent. Neither
do we He objects because he thinks tie
business is too full Of detail for govern
ment management. We object because
II Is too full of opportunities of stealing
for government officers We know by
experience that they are not to be trusted
In the American atmosphere. Tie
people are safer in the hands of private
bands of railroad robbers, who will fall
out over the plunder and give homes,
men good chInce for their dues.
TIE new postage law will 90 into
effect on October and the preparations
OF business men to take advantage Of its
more liberal provisions are SO general
aud extensive that it promises at an
early day To so stimulate the postal bust
ness OF the country as to make it certain
that the great increase of mail matter