Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-24
RAILWAY OWNERSHIP
STRONG SENTIMENT FOR Ma
FORMULATION IN ENGLAND.
Special Cablegram to The Star.

Special Cablegram to The star.
LONDON. November 23-One result
of the recent railway crisis in Great
Britain is that the question of the
naturalization of railways will hence
forth be a living issue. For quite
number of years the railways, as an
Investment have not been a satisfac-
tory form of security. The terrific drop
in the price of stock that was once
considered the best in the world has
been a terrible calamity to many poor
shareholders, who may have mad to
dispose of their scrip. And. at best.
the dividend paid is scarcely equal to
what a man would receive by placing
his money on deposit in a bank. AS a
consequence. the old opposition to the
state purchase of railways has pracu-
cally disappeared On the whole. tho
proprietors of the railway systems @re
quite willing. if not anxious. that the
Undertaking should be bought by the
state. That, necessarily woul1 be
great enterprise. But II would make
really hardly any difference to the ak
payers. The railway shares would sim
ply be converted into a state stock
like consols. Whether or not the rail-
ways would be satisfactory Under
state management is very dsbdtable
question. On the whole. the English
railway system is admirable. There
are, of course. glaring exceptions: but.
SO far as Great Britain is concerned.
they are few.
When we turn to Ireland, however.
the position is entirely different. Moth
ing could be much worse than the
Irish railway system. 1t would seem
almost as if the directors III that
island had entered into conspiracy to
make their lines Improbable and to
restrain the development of the coun-
try. Both the passenger and the freight
rates are much higher in poverty
stricken Ireland than in wealthy Eng
land. Excursion facilities are lew and
far between the trains are slow and I'M
punctual. and they are run seemingly
without the least regard to public con-
venience. Moreover, the different COM
panies are so jealous of each other that
they refuse to work in that Kind of
harmony. which, in other countries,
enables a person to travel over several
systems without a hitch.
1t is no new project that OF The ma
tionalization of Irish railways. For
half century leading statesmen have
considered the matter. and, indeed have
favored the idea. The English railway
mails have also strongly advocated ma
tionaiization In Ireland. 1t is some
what strange that the Irish party has
not felt itself bound to make this
prominent item of it's program. Surely
1t is an unfortunate thing for Ireland
that, for the sake Of party politics, the
land Is almost the only topic the Irish
members have cared to talk about for
q great number of years. YET in Ire
land nearly all the most influential
men in nationalist circles are extremely
keen about the industrial development
of their country. And to this Develop
ment the inadequate and inefficient rail-
way system is the chief obstacle. For
the advocacy of home rule, 1t is surely
not necessary that the country should
be slowly ruined. State help Is only
medicine to make Ireland permanently
prosperous-the development of her
own internal resources is impcratively
necessary.
Some persons believe that the direct
ors will themselves approach the gov
eminent with proposals for natlonali-
zation. 1t seems the only way out
OF the tremendous loss incurred by
excessive and useless competition in
Great Britain and the ever-growing
cost OF railway management