The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-28
FOREIGN WARNINGS ON RATES
VISITING RAILROAD MEN POINT
OUT DANGERS or LEGISLATION.
They Return From Tour OF the country
Duly Impressed with Our Industrial
Greatncss-Ne Have Laws stringent
Enough Now, British Experts say.


Greatncss-We Have Laws stringent
Enough Now, British Experts Say.
Warnings against legislation that would
impair the prosperity and efficiency OF the
railroads OF the 90 ntry were tt red by
many Of the seyonty-iive delegates TO tha
International Railway Congress who ar
rived here on the Albany boat at the end
Of the long tour" of the United States
AS tho guests of the American Railway
Association.
Three special trains, nagnfcently
equipped, made stops at Altoona, fltts-
burg, Cincinnati st, Louis. Chicago
Niagara Falls. Montreal. Saratoga, Sche-
nactady and Albany. Throughout the
delegates were profoundly impressed, not
only with the marvels of railroad develop
ment in the country, but with the indica-
ton Of industrial prosperity.
Th, size of the cour try and the scale on
which everything is done here are causes
of constant wonder to the visitors One
thing which especially attracted their at
staltioa was tine telephone. An instrument
wat IN installed II one nf the compartment is
on the obs urvatiOn car of each OF the three
secliols OF tie train. These i1atrumer is
were couno oted with the central office i'm
madiately on the arrival OF the tram at chch
stoppi.g place. to give the delegates com
pmeutary loGal ard long distance service
When the liuemel attached tine wires TO the
cars before the trai.s came to star dstlll
at Saratoga rud cor versatio0 with chicago
WIS had within five minutes some OF the
visitors could hardly beHeNe thelr own
ears.
"Altogether you have most remarkable
co,lI try and we have, certainly been most
splerd idy entertain ed" said II. c. king;
manager of the locomotive works and
rolling mills of the Great Western Railway
of England, at the Holland House last
evening The smoothness Of running
ard tho s,eed made, although l understand
that the orders were to keep. our trains
little under the regular schedule rather than
above it, are something you may well be
proud of.
Il think you may say that the organiza-
ton of American railways is one OF the very
best in the world" was the comment OF
Charles Schuyler de Wartensee, chief of
administration of the Nerona-Carpia-G arda
Railway of Italy
When he was asked his opinion as to the
adyisability of empowering Government
committee to fix. rates: Bodolph Fame de
Sails. director Of the North Stahordshire
Railway in England, said:
while corporations of, such magnitude
and Importance as railway, companies
cannot expect to stand outside of proper
and legitimate State regulation English
experience shows that such regulation can
easily be overdone, and is likely to injure
the traders. and therefore the public for
whose benefit il is intended
The Representatives Of the English Rail-
way Clearing House-an, organization
which has no counterpart in the United
States but which was formed TO facilitate
interchange of passenger and freight traf-
ficAare much stronger in their expressions
of opinion on this subject.
Government regulation in any form
is as bad as possible" declared Lewis
Wood, assistant secretary of the Railway
Clearing House. what we have in England
Is mild compared with that in some places
on the Continent. but the whole idea is
pernicious. 1t can only result in inttexi-
bility and makes it practically impossible |
for railroads to lower their rates to meet a
special need because 1t is practically i'm !
possible to raise them again when the need |
is passed and the original rate is the proper
and satisfactory enc for everybody con-
cerned. | hope you Americans will keep
away from any NOR stringent regulation
than you have now. which is entirely suf-
fcient if the Interstate Commerce Com
mission goes about it's work in the right
way.
Harry Cuff Smart, also Of the British
Railway Clearing House, said that freight
charges in the United Kingdom were
steadily going down by voluntary action |
OF the railroads before the present method |
OF regulation by the Government was
put into effect and they have never de- |
creased since it was applied.