The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-31
A DANGEROUS POWER.

1t is not until such condition arises as
that which has been recently presented in
the action of the North Pacific Coast Rail
road that We begin to realize the dangerous
power which public carriers are permitted
TO exercise in this country. That company
has withdrawn one of the two boats which
for so many years it has kept plying
between San Francisco and Sausalito,
with the result, that the people of the
densely populated region which the rail
road traverses are put TO great Simeon
venience. In other words certain set of
conditions had existed for long time and
were found to be favorable to the idea OF
buying and improving property and
establishing residences and business along
the line. OF sudden these conditions are
so greatly modified as seriously to impair
their character, and the probability is that
much material damage has ensued from
the change.
The company possibly had excellent
business reasons for making the change.
Assuming, however, that it could not
protitably maintain two boats, or that by
reducing the service it can make larger
profit than formerly, is it right that its
interests should be the only interests to be
regarded? 1t is here that the whole aues-
ton of the relation between a common
carrier and the public which it serves is
raised.
In this case the communities served
have much larger population in summer
than in winter, and the assurance is given
that with the return OF summer the other
boat will be again put in commission.
ha ie +Io
winter service bears the same relation to
the volume of business that the summer
service bore. That seems plausible on its
face, for it is the universal and unques-
toned custom everywhere for a TEN porary
summer service to be established between
cities and suburban settlements and resorts
and for the service to be abandoned or re-
duced at the close of the season. Hence ii
IS assumed that this custom is fair notice
to all who may contemplate a permanent
residence or business in these communities
that they will have a reduced service or nc
service at all during the winter months.
The situation becomes modified by the
extent of the permanent settlement and
the relation of the volume of traffic during
one part of the year to that during another
part, but under the prevalent custom it is
left almost entirely with the transporta
ton companies to determine the extent Of
the service to be furnished. The question
OF the right to exercise this power arbi
trarily has been raised in the courts of g
few States, and to certain extent it has
been laid down as fixed proposition thai
| carrier must furnish an adequate service
| without regard to its own preferences
| whims or profits. Still it is proposition
| that has worked itself out slowly and
somewhat indefinitely, and the ground
principles determining exactly the rela
| ton between public demand and the ex
| tent of the service have not been fixed
with sufficient clearness and have hardly
been touched upon at all, except in inter
state matters.
1t is time that the people should give
the subject more careful attention than i
| has received in the past. Had this beer
| done long ago the prosperity of California
would not have been governed so mex
orably by the arbitrary exercise of power
| assumed by its one great railway monop
oily. AS for the people along the line o
| the North Pacific Coast road, they are fur
| nished with an OBJECT lesson of great value
| concerning the need of better govern
mental regulation of railway companies.