The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-01-04


Some Recommendations Made.
The fourteenth annual report Of the In
! ter-S-ate Commerce Commission has been
transmitted tc Congress On the subject
Of further legislation amending the act TO
a, regulate commerce. the Commission de-
( clEres that il still adheres to recommen-
/ dauCns repeatedly made While the at
| ulCde Of the Commission has been rnisun-
/ derstood by some and misrepresented by
others. the views heretofore officially ex-
/ pressed are believed to be justified alike
/ by experience and reflection They are con-
| frned by later and current observation.
! One aspect of the situation is specially
! referred 10. The Commission says il must
/ be apparent 10 the thoughtful mind that
! equal charges for equal service cannot be
! secured without some restraint upon tie
I competitive action Of independent lines.
( and refers to classification. interchange
/ OF cars, switching service, storage, and
/ terminal charges demurrage. car-service
/ rules. and other similar matters as hav-
I ing been looked upon with favor as op-
! Grating TO public advantage Uniform
! class ilcatlOn, Tor example is regarded so
/ desirable that the Commission has recon-
/ I1euIed and urged It's adoption by yclun-
! tary action. or, that falling by compulso-
/ ~ legislation. The act to regulate COM
I merce seems 70 favor associated action b.
/ competing roads for purposes of this kind.
/ True. II prohibits pOoling-that is the
+ actual division OF competitive traffic or
I the earnings derived therefrOm-aud even
( this provision IS believed by many TO be
/ practically inconsistent with uniform
! charges TO all shippers and the fair ad-
/ jusJnent Of rates between different com
muni-ies and different articles Of traffic.
Il IS evident says the report. that
railroad managers generally have made
no attempt 10 conform their practices 10
/ the spirit Of this law They may keep
within its letter and succeed in avoiding
/ its penalties. but they claim that they are
virtually compelled 10 counteract is am
and evade its observance Thus 1t hap
/ pens that some Of the most important
and useful incidents OF railway service
are maintained by methods which are be
lieyed To be inharmoniOus with If not in
actual violation Of a Federal stature
This is more than the question Of pooling
contracts between rival carriers-iJ is he
question OF such agreements as relate to
classification, terminal charges. and the
hke-concernIng which uniformity GER
| tainty. and stability are Of manifest bene-
( NJ and convenience to the public.
Evils OF Existing Conditions.
Under the conditions now existing it is
inevitable that frequent determinations
should occur ana endless acts Of injustice
| be committed theoretically it is posi-
bic for each road 10 observe its published
schedules in every particular but this in
many cases must be done. if done a all,
only AT the loss of needed traffic, unless
all rival roads with equal strictness and
honesty conform in like manner TO their
published rates.
IT, as IS alleged that competition is
compelled in all things by one law which
Is binding upon the carriers. it can hardly
be supposed that another law of more CT
less diverse and opposing tendency viii
at the same time be obeyed- It is uni
Tersal experience that capital takes ad-
vantage Of competition. If public trans
pOrtation can be bought and sold like
commodity, the largest purchaser viii,
some Of the time, if not all Of the lime
get the best terms. II is idle 10 suppose
that railroads viii actually and all 7he
while compete with each other as 70 every
item Of service or facility and Al the
same time expect that all their patrons.
small and large viii be treated exactly
alike. Such a result has never vet been
realized and practically viii not be real
lied The policy now pursued can not and
viii not prevent an outcome Of vicious
Determinations And what is most I'm
fortunate Of ali those Determinations ia
vCr the few mi place the many at dis
advantage Taey aid the strong. who have
nc need Of assistance. and handicap lie
weak with burdens which by comparison
are always unjust and often destructive
The report says that one Of the strik-
ing features 6 recent times in the in
dustTial world has been the tendency 70
combine for the purpose Of limiting OF
eliminating competition IN no branch OF
industry. probably, IS the indUcement TO
form combination Of this sort greater.
nor the advantages TO &c hoped for from
them when formed more certain. than in
railway operations. The Commission has
10 official knowledge of the extent Of re
cent railway combIEat ions. but IL has in
formed itself as well as possible from I'M
official sources. There were absorbed in
various ways between July l. 1899, and
November J. 1900. 25.5il miles Of railroad |
There are IN the whole United States |
something less than 200 coo miles Of rail- |
road, and more than one-eighLh Of this |
entire mileage was, within the above pc !
j iod brought in one way and another |
under the control of other lines The |
scope and effect of these operations is |
illustrated by some examples given IN the |
report The Commission goes on to say !
that when we consider what has actually |
been done. what is undoubtedly in con
the entire feasibility of these |
schemes, the very great advantage which !
would result TO the owners of the prop
critics involved, and the fact that d step !
once taken II that direction is seldom re /
traced it becomes evident that IL the i'm |
mediate future the main transportation |
lines Of this country viii be thrown into i
great groups. controlling their own terri |
tory. and not subject. with respect to most |
traffic. to serious competition
COmpen~ating Advantages.
The Commission asserts that such a con |
dition is not without its benefits The |
evils which competition begets viii largely |
disappear with that competition. and |
many Of the worst forms OF discrimination |
sill cease Owing 10 wasteful competI- !!
tion transportation by rail actually costs I
more than IL ought To eliminate that |
competition viii be TO work an actual /
saving "a the cost Of the service. and this |
should rebound to the benefit Of both the !
carrier and the shipper
The danger lies in the fact that the |
only check upon the rate is thereby re- |
moved. Hitherto competition between I
carriers has kept down the price OF car /
riage If that is taken away nothing !,