Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-11
FOR STATE CONTROL
Report Submitted to the Rail-
way Commissioners.
LIVELY DEBATE FOLLOWS
Fair Treatment of the Corporations
Wanted.
CORRECT VALUATION DESIRED
Requirements Of Justice in the Re-
lation Of Rates-Conservative
Discussion Of Question.
LIVELY DEBATE FOLLOWS
CORRECT VALUATION DESIRED

When the nineteenth annual convention !
Of the National Association of Railway
Commissioners convened today for its
final session, it took up. under special
order, the subject of Railroad Taxes and |
Plans for Ascertainng Fair Valuation of |
Railroad Property
In addition to this subject. upon which
committees report Is bending three
other reports for consideration were De-
lays Attendant Upon Enforcing Orders Of |
Railroad Commissioners" Rates and |
Matchmaking" and 'Demurrage and Re-
ciprocal Demurrage"
The report on RATES and Matchmaking" |
attracted the most interest, as 1t appeals |
more directly to the people than any
other matter before the convention
The election of officers for the ensuing
year occurs today.
The special committee on safety appli- |
ances recommended congressional legisla-
ton to compel railroads, both steam and
electric to protect their tracks by an au-
tomato block signal system, and urged
that the several state legislatures enact
laws along this line. The report was
adopted.
Rates and Making.
Charles F. Staples. commissioner Of
Minnesota. presented the report on Rates
| and Matchmaking" The report said there
Is a growing public sentiment that the
| rates charged by the railway companies
| for transporting or interchanginR the
various products OF the country from one
section to another should be a subject
| of supervision and regulation by the
various state and national authorities, and
| the supervision should be Intelligent. and
fair to both the people and the trans
| portation companies.
Passenger rates" the report adds. ARE
| little complicated as compared with
freight rates, and whether right OF wrong
| the controlling factor in their making is
| that of comparison. We believe. however,
that public authorities should carefully
consider when inquiring into passenger
| rates the question as to whether that
branch Of the railway business Is bearing
| its proper share OF the entire operating
expenses.
III the railway mileage within each
state was owned and operated exclusively
| by state corporation the matter OF rate
| regulation would be much simplifed. The
cases are rare where road of any i'm
| portance Is not an Interstate road, and a
large share Of the business is interstate
business.
Federal Control Opposed.
'"This may be argued as a reason for
entire federal control, something we be-
| lieve to be impossible without amending
| the Constitution. This we do not believe
| the states will concede until it Is demon
strated that it is more practical than ex-
| perience has yet shown 1t to be.
There have been many general rate
| reductions in different states followed by
! reductions in interstate traffic. and so far
| as we know these have all been brought
| about by the affirmative action of the
| state authorities So far we are ad-
l yyicn GrvDr 80
due to any action by the federal authori-
| ties. We believe the best interests of
| the people would not be served by placing
| the entire responsibility for rate control
in the federal government. We believe
| there should be a much closer relation |
! ship between the federal and state au-
thorities than seems to exist at present;
| that in many matters state commission |
should act as agent for the interstate
| commerce commission to the advantage of
both.
I'VE have no right to guess at values
and should not accept the values placed
| by tie carriers. The work should be so
conducted that when completed both
state and federal authorities would have
complete data SO far as railroad valua-
lions are concerned
Justice requires that there should be a
fair relation of rates; that each class of
traffic should bear its fair share of the
| burden. Here it may be said that espe-
cially with the freight carried under the
So-cal!ed commodity rates, whatSwould be
| fair and reasonable in one section of the
country might not be reasonable at some
other point.
There is nothing more elusive, danger
| Gus misleading than the plan of per-
| centage increase or decrease in rates. es-
pecially so If there Is to be any change in
the classification or relation Of rates or
| commodities
Wide Range of Discussion.
| Discussion of the report took a wide
| range. H A. Fairchild Of Washington
| state urged that the convention ought TO
| go on record as declaring that the people
of the country ought jealousy to guard
the Investments of the people In the rail-
roads of the country.
| Mr.. Staples of Minnesota replied that
| there was not so much water in the
stocks of the railroads as people think
there is. He urged that the railroads OF
the country had improved their lines i'm
mensely. and ought to be given credit for
| that work.
| H. Warner Hill Of Georgia declared
| that in the unsettled state of railroad Sc
| curities today. If he were asked to part
| from what he had accumulated in the
| world he would feel that he would not
| invest in railroad securities He thought
| Chi