The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-06-12
MELLEN WARM. Exceedingly Sarcastic at Hearing Before Bay
 State Railroad
 Committee. SPEAKS ON THE MERGER If He Had Not Got Boston & Maine the New York
 Central Would.
HAS KEPT TROLLEY PLEDGES
Opposition Vindictive and He Declines to be Questioned
 by Lawyer.

Boston, June 1.-The merger, hearing at the state house to-day brought be- fore the legislative committee on rail- roads the two leading authorities in New England on transportations, Pres ident Charles s. Mellen, of the New York, New Haven and Hartford rail road, and President Lucius Futile, of the Boston and Maine railroad, both of whom gave their ideas of the causes, direct and indirect, leading up to the control of the Boston and Maine by the New Haven road. Both presidents agreed that Massachusetts laws were sufficiently drastic to safeguard Massa- chusetts interests, and said that at the present time no legislation is necessary. It was announced that later, possibly next year, the New Haven road may ask the legislature for its approval of the merger.
 The two railroad heads were heard during the afternoon session, the morn ing being given to William B. Law renee, of Medford, a stockholder in the Boston and Maine, who made vehe- ment and lengthy speech in opposition to the merger, during which he claimed that the stock of two of the subsidiary companies of the New Haven road was considerably watered."
 At the conclusion of the addresses of the two presidents in the afternoonn L. D. Brandeis, the attorney for MT Lawrence, again addressed the commit tee, and at the request of some of the members, presented a second bill of a general nature which, he claimed, would prevent further consolidation of Massachusetts railroads, or even their being controlled by outside companies.
 The addresses of the two presidents were the features of the day Mir Mel len told the committee, in response to questions, that if the New Haven road had not secured control of the Boston and Maine few weeks ago through the efforts of interests that were iden- tified with or favorable to the New Haven road, the control of the Boston and Maine would have been secured by the New York Central Railroad com pany.
 Interests favorable to the New Ha- ven road, he said, now control approx fmately 100000 shares of Boston and Maine stock. MT. Mellen was exceed ingly sarcastic in some of his remarks, and claimed that the opposition to the merger was of vindictive nature, and showed his resentment by refusing to be examined by Lawyer Brandeis.
 MT. Mellen told the committee at the outset in answer to the tering arguments of Mir. Lawrence. that there was not one dollar of the capital stock of the New Haven road that did not represent more than 100 cents. He said that since July 1, 1903, the New Haven road had expended over $15OO00,000 in improvements and in the securities of other companies. He declared that he had kept every promise which he had made to the legislature at a hearing a year ago, when he said that he would not attempt to secure any more trolley lines In Massachusetts. He admitted, 0ONGYBTt lue1I Sll1CC lllGll CilC ANCW 41d- ven company had purchased control of the Rhode Island company and had found in it's treasury the stock of the Interstate railway, which had trolley line running into Massachusetts. A similar condition prevailed in the pur- chase of a Connecticut company having Q line near the Massachusetts border. All these purchases, however, were made since the present legislature be- gan it's session.
 In answer to questions by the com mittee as to the method employed in obtaining control of the Boston and Maine, President Mellen said that his attention was called to the fact that certain stockholders of the Boston and Maine desired to sell their interests by a brokerage house in Boston. He was also told that unless the New Ha- ven road acted quickly another rail- road. which he afterwards admitted was the New York Central, would eap- ture the Boston and Maine. Stock of the Boston and Maine road to the amount of 100000 shares was then taken LID or acquired by interests fa- Vorable to the New Haven road.
 Senator Vahey, who spoke yesterday in opposition to the merger was per- mitted by the committee to ask MT, Mellen a number of questions. MT. vahey tried to obtain from President Mellen a promise that no further ef- fort would be made by friendly in- terests to obtain additional Boston and Maine stock until the New Haven road had asked the legislature to per