Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-22
Rates Constantly Being Changed.

AedtCo CONSTANTLY oCl1S SllddSCo.
He said that rates are constantly being
changed from hour to hour by the price of
commodities in Liverpool. They must be
carried al prices that will permit them to
move with a profit.
1 have never discovered a disposition on
the part of railroads to concentrate it's bust
ness in a few places. 1t is the policy of
roads to encourage the building up of new
places. Twenty towns are more profitable
than five, even though the five be large
ones. Railroads run to any place where
there is water power and seek to make
rates SO that business may be done in those
places"
He did not care what direction shipments
over his road go. He was as glad to see
commodities of Chicago go into New Eng
land as he was to send products of New
England into Chicago. What the railroads
do is to stimulate commerce.
He did not think the railroad rates are
unduly high.
"a man who desires to manipulate rates
to get determinations, can manipulate a
rate made by the government as he can
one made by the roads, because both of
them are legal rates" said Mr.. Tuttle.
One cause of the centralizing of industries
IN large centers of population, he stated,
was the ability of the manufacturer to get
labor.
Mr.. Tuttle controverted the idea that a
few men control the railroads of this coun-
try While certain men appear to exercise
the stockholders by whose proxies they are
elected. Should their conduct not meet the
approval of those stockholders they would
not long be In control.
IT have met some of the men who are
reputed to exercise large control in board
meetings. and I do not find that they say
this shall be done or that shall be done, y
he said. LAS a rule / think such men have
less to say than any one else. OF course, "a
man who has reputation as wise hnan-
cier has greater attention given to his views
than some one else who might be very in
telligent on other matters. But they do not
dominate to the extent that they are sup
posed to in the public mind"
A National Incorporation.
Mr. Tuttle, in reply to a question by
Senator Newlands, said he rather favored
the idea of a national Incorporation in some
respects but he was inclined to think the
people of New England would have greater
confidence in the legislatures of New Eng
land states relating to New England rail-
roads than they would have in Congress
made up, as ii is, of men from all parts OF
the country.
The Boston and Maine railroad, he said,
is made up of what was at one time one
hundred and twenty railroads, He didn'
think the people of this country would ever
want to go back to the small railroads. The
reason there were one hundred and twenty
railroads in New England is because they
knew nothing of interstate roads While
they were intended TO connect at state lines,
there had to be a company for the part of
the line in each state
I'm New England states,' he said, "the
taxes on railroads are fair and reasonable
and the railroads have no couse to COM
plain. Now and then new Legislative
committee goes through the statutes with
a fine-tOoth comb, and nothing catches in
the comb but what bears against the rail-
roads. But we have nothing to complain
of in relation to our taxes.
I'm a income the
ton and Maine railroad pays about 81 900 900
annually In taxes.
Mr.. Tuttle Closes His Testimony.
Mr. Tuttle said his company has very lit
tie difficulty on account of disputes with
it's employees in casts of injury by accidents.
The company took care of employees while
injured, gives them medical care, etc, and
reinstates them, or in case they cannot
be reinstated, secures other employment
for them or compensates them. They rare
~ had suit about such matters.
we can have no real arbitration, he
said, that is not compulsory arbitration.
AS president of the New England branch of
the civic union l come in contact with the
leaders of the labor movement in this coun-
try, such as Mr.. Gompers. l know he would
not consent to compulsory arbitration. The
fact Is, our arbitration is never real arbi-
tration anyway, because there Is never ar.
effort TO find who is right, but merely to
split the difference and reach an agree
ment."
At the close of Mr. Tuttle's testimony
the committee adjourned out of respect to
the late Senator Platt of Connecticut and
decided to attend the funeral as a body.
The committee will meet Monday morning
at IL o'clock.