New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-08-26
RAILWAYS In ITALY.
CATE Oscnerskip Experiment Be
comes "a Scourge. "
o,,as,onal Correspondent Of Tbs Tribune

nd
90 suO .,,,,,x Is an incident OF really historic
OF eo-' The King has taken this action in re-
iaa' - widespread. if not universal. demands
sPonss ....bing be done to give relief from a
ih'i .sFs;-s which has for some time been ali
se ,.,.rable and hts taking it has been hailed
i'l AUS enthusiasm throughout the king
Su =. has taken It. however. upon his own
1oa and responsibility. and the credit is
). him personally. and not 90 ministry or
O.. -, The fact that such a commission
-, constituted is an indication. OF course.
- Urgency Of the case; Of which more may
- =, PRESENTLY Not the least interesting cir
...ca is-indeed it may we'll prove to
tl1'- The most interesting and suggestive
So ,rat in italy there prevails that system
=. ownership and management OF railroads
~. :, many regard as the panacea for all the
- industry. while America is still welded TO
"a system Of private corporate ownership OF
,,5 other public utilities. Yet Italy, IN a
&c night Of inefflciency and corruption.
-. "a America for light and leading. The re-
- and advanced turns to the backward and
l.-.,ers;e. That circumstance Is one which
-rsl give pause TO any jealous and precipi-
.3o,ls who would instantly adopt the Italian
-, N America without waiting to see how
! rarks in italy.
yse incident. moreover. marks a crisis in a
,ge story Of mingled enterprise and IN
-.i,,cy thrift and profligacy. which began
-, hack in the years Immediately following
. -,iscssion Of Italy. It involved not only
-, br, Deuretis and other earlier statesmen.
:, nrgAlv dominated the domestic politics
,..s t,i-gdoIn and even affected Indirectly but
..o,,,v is foreign relations, the net result OF
.,.h down 10 the present, has been to give
,,r enc If the most elaborate and complete
..rroa5 systems and by all odds the most un-
,,asssctarv railroad service, in the world. What
-rr,ar, Development has been TO Germany and
EDITORIAL expansion 10 Russia. railroad build
~ has been to italy. II has ruled and shaped
~ E-hole Industrial and social growth OF the
,~-,rv foF The last third Of z century.
II vas. indeed. az far back as 1865. before
Rome became the capital of united Italy. that
,te government OF Victor Emmanuel adopted
re princirle Of state ownership of railroads
,rs began the purchase of existing lines from
no CORPORATIONS which had built them. In this
,bs object vas Al least at first, chiefly political.
Il vas thought the acquisition and control OF
ae railways by the state would cOnduce to the
MITIGATION ana consolidation OF Italy, as it un-
cussonably did. Later, when that considera-
fon vas no longer potent, the same policy was
cgntinued for other reasons, chiefly two-one,
hat the industries and resources Of the country
might be the more rapidly developed; and the
cher. that il was regarded as a sound eco
nomica principle for the state to own and op-
s-ste eli such public utilities. So for nine years
after 1868 the government went on acquiring
railroads. until il owned most OF those I'm the
kingdom Then in 1877 came the deluge
In that year Signor Depretis, the Minister Of
Public Works. began the railroad building pol
iy Of Italy. There were then about flfty-one
hundred miles Of railroad IN existence in Italy,
nasty owned By the state. SignOr Depretis one
dsy startled the kingdom by introducing q bill
for the immediate construction by the state OF
some tgenty-seven additional lines. with a total
length Of more than twelve hundred miles. al
q cost Of something more than s125, COOS 900. The
proposal one which might well have stag
Egei prudent lRanciers, seeing how poor Italy
MS at that time and how heavy her expenses
we're in other directions But Signor Depretfs
Fupported his scheme with three very plausible
ana effective arguments. One was that ADDITIONAL
railroads were needed for the development Of
he country. which was undoubtedly true An
ether was that the cost Of building them would
M be thrown upon the nation at once, but
would be gradually paid during long term of
years, which was also true The third was that.
e railroads would be a profitable investment,
which would NOR than pay for themselves and
ft source 81 revenue to the national treasury,
which did not prove 10 be true. at least in any
f1'h measure as Signor Depretis expected.
However the scheme caught the popular fancy
hgnor Depretis soon went out Of Office with
lis plan unfufled, but hts successor. Signor
Baocarini, took up the plan and enlarged 81.
/" as to provide for nearly twice as many miles
new roads. His bill. which was substituted
ir that Of Signor DepretiE. called for thirty
egm instead Of twenty-seyen new lines, Of
80 instead Of 1900 miles. This proposition
as Submitted 10 a parliamentary committee,
WITCH not only reported Il favOTahly, but en-
@'sea ulon it. increasing the number Of rail-
'uaos 10 ffty-two and the mileage 10 2T60. The
parliament received the report Hospitality, and
IiVllptly proceeded to enlarge upon il, increas-
"s NE number Of lines to flfty-eight and the
-lAeaee TO 3,430 and IN this form the bill was
'-Sned toward final passage. But IT was not
'1O1gh- Influential members Of Parliament de-
'laea to support the bill unless they could d.
'Souy profit from it. Each demanded as the
i'ice Of his support that a railroad line should
DUR where It would benefit him. and TO such
-7lhands the government had to yield. The re-
.-H was that when the bill finally became law.
= guy 1873. it provided for the building Of
-1lS'four railroads with total length Of 1852
--'7s' and. as II was said In those days, every
DsVuty who voted for Il was 20 have a railroad
..anag through his dooryard! The cost OF this
,sa-pehoous Job was 10 be S262. 100000. Of which
-1VS9VsO would be contributed by provincial
a municipal governments and all the rest by
y hauon and the whole work was TO be COM
-ne work was begun with a rush, and without
= proper surveys or estimates, and IL was
--aacted in a most slipshod and often profit
e''s fashion BY 1885 It was found that the
- OF the roads would be two or three times
much rs had been expected. BY that time,
i" Ihe national treasury was almost depleted
:, lne heavy drains. not only for railroads. but