The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-03-18
Special Report on Boston &
Maine Transfer
TON YIN. H.&H. RAILROAD
Massachusetts, Legislature This After
noon Heard Report of Bare Majority
of the Commission Appointed to
Investigate Proposed Change.

Boston, March lS.--By bare ma
Jor1ty Of one, the special commission OF
commerce and industry, appointed las
July, approves the so-cailed merger o
the Boston and Maine with the New
York, New Haven and Hartford railroad
In its report submitted to the Massa
chusetts legislature this afternoon thre.
members of the commission agree thai
with certain well-deiined restrictions
the consolidation would benefit the com
monwealth, the travelling public and til,
railroads.
The commission, which was appointed
to conduct an investigation as broad
as its name implies, also reported nor,
briefly on the acquisition by the New
Haven company Of 10 MasSachusett.
street railways, on the laws regulating
the issue OF stock of public service cor
porations, and on the lease Of the Bostor
and Albany railroad to the New York
Central.
Whether or not the New Haven road
has violated the Massachusetts statute.
in acquiring stock in the street rail,
ways, the commission says, is ques.
tion of law now before the court. For
the purpose Of holding together these Ii
street railways at least until 1t appears
desirable to dismember the combination
the commission recommends that the
New Haven be required as condition
Of acquiring control Of the Boston and
Maine to transfer its shares of Massa-
chusetts railway companies to a new
corporation to be formed for the plr
pose, the shares Of the new corpora
tion to be issued upon an equitable basis
in exchange for the shares transferred.
The commission believes that New
England needs to count for more IN
the railroad scheme Of the country and
the way to accomplish this ID to add
to her Importance by lnifying her inter
ests. If traffic of southern and north
ern New England were united, It would
make a volume of business which could
command from trunk lines a degree Of
consideration not hitherto secured
The commission is greatly impressed
with the Importance Of Canadian bust
ness to Massachusetts, ard believes that
If properly encouraged the relations
with the Canadian railroads should be.
come Of unreasonable value.
In the docks and terminal facilities
Of Boston, the New Haven road has
great advantage over The B. and A.
and the b. and AT The commission
believes, however, that III dealing with
this question the state should insist that
the Boston and Albany be gwen free
access to docking territory and that ig
noring rival interests should treat the
railroads as trustees or agents Of the
public and require them to act jointly
with a paramount view to the public
welfare.
The legal question as to the right Of
the New Haven road to have made the
original purchase Of the Boston and
Maine stock the commission does not
consider as material Ii is open to the
Legislature to either ratifv OF disapprove
the original purchase and one course or
the other must be taken. II The deci-
sion be to disapprove, the commission
asks what shall be done with the stock
held BY the New Haven road, The state
would not hold it and to sell it al
public auction would endanger the stock
holders Some connecting road would
then step in and buy it. TO force the
New Haven to dispose Of ii would Be
for the state TO abandon control It
wonld 70 to some railroad and no rail
road. other than tile New Haven has
such a preponderating interest in New
England