National Republican., 1888-05-21
Halfway Control in Great Britain.

The question Of railway cOntrol--that Is,
Of the proper adjustment of the relations
between the business of steam transpOrtn-
tion by corporate companies and the com
mrrcial aud social interests with which it IS
so intimately connected is exciting interest
IN England and other European countries.
Belgium settled the matter 10y taking the
railways and switzerland proposes to fol-
low that example.
IN speech made in the commons Mr.
Watt proposes similar action for Great
Britain. In his speech hc submitted tables
showing that in the railway, Of the United
Kingdom the total capital embarked was
$4.14OOOO.O coo, the total receipts :}3O,OOO,-
GEO, the net receipt, being $50, 100000, an
average interest of between and per
cent.
MIR. Watt shows that in Belgium the re
,ult had been the reduction Of prices for
transportation and consequent stimula-
ion of industries in the country. Sir
Michael Hicks Beach and Mr.. Gladstone
opposed the plan Of government control
The latter said
Tie railway companies OF this country had
very honorable record, aud they had on the
whole set Il good example tu the world The
public opinion of thi. country would never
tolerate the paucty of supply and the re.
>traints upon passengers that were Of constant
occurrence abroad. II the government ac.
quircd the railways they would also have to
undertake the management of them, and he
agreed with the president Of the local govern.
mcnt board. Sir Michael Ilick>. Beach, that the
Sir Michael comtemdcd that the govern.
mcnt could not manage the railways better
than they were managed now that If the
state took the management the change
would involve the country In great political
evils. He declined to introduce the curse of
political influence and party sympathy into
such an important part of the business ell
tcrprscs of the country, and he could not
think that it could he anything but great
public evil if their political debates in that
house were practically smothcrcd by dis
cllssiun about the exercise of railway patron
age, the pay of railway employees, the pune
tuality of trains. and the various details of
railway management, which. If the railways
We're under state control, would he con
Stanly brought under notice of the House
| lie said he should be sorry 10 see the GOV
| crnlntnt involved in the charge of bribing
certain localities by afrording better facili-
| ties for transportation. and he believed that
| there would he no easier instrument of cor
| luptium in the country than the states
| ownership and management Of railways.
The views Of our English cousins are of
| interest to us. who are battling with the
same subject This is more particularly the
case, Us Great Britain has already gone one
step further than the United States, and is
now the owner Of the entire tclegraphc sys-
TEN Of the United Kingdom, operating It
| II, Il part of the postal service and finding it
neither source Of corruption nor expense.
AS the NATIONAL REPUBLICAN repeat
| Cdly declared it would he while It was un-
| der consideration, the interstate commerce
law has proven Il complete failure, except in
| lis ability TO annoy, aud our British cousins
| might take a leaf out Of our experience on
| railroads while We are studying theirs ON the
| telegraph system.