The Boise citizen. (Boise, Idaho) 1906-1910, 1909-02-26
RAILWAY COMP ARIS0N.
government OWNERSHIP A GROWING POLICY
Wherever IT HAS BEEN TRIED


proposed this would be from
Coos Bay line make connection with Boise the
Of government and private ownership of railroads of immediate
Importance people The Public of Chicago concludes lengthy
article upon subject with the following comparisons:
Turning principle consideration of the special facts
Of experience find wide field for observation
In the United experience altogether with private ys
The results before And what grim story of graft
we-estabshed facts about them loudly tell Mountains of
highway value have been seized by private interests The
orrupng influences generated have attacked the foundations of
our govennennaonal State and municipal What the spoi
system politics did in small way the system of private
ownership of rail roads, and of kindred functions of government
doing enormously larger and infinitely dangerous scale
Added to the network of gentenen's agreements un
which the highways that fared out to railway corporations
by government sue favored business interests for the fora
We need statistics experts OF
this it is all matter of knowledge
with the private railroad systems that
country evils of highway monopoly have the
system of Australia In many important respects 1t IS true
countries comparable But they compara-
bic country of private ownership exclusively
and the other of government ownership exclusively And in SO
far they any important the difference
make Australia witness in favor OF private ownership
Australia has no permanently navgabe have;
qun has been under the burden Of opening her empire OF op
poruny with temporarily improbable railroads to greater degree
have been opening Moreover the population per
mile of railway open for traffic IS much less Australia than mere
owing to sparse population These highly important points
comparing of Australian with American railroads
Yet the Australian roads successful The figures would
better evidence than hgures Inc
railroads satisfactory that public opinion in Australia would
not tolerate an attempt farm them This irresistible fact
government ownership does not depend upon expert
testimony which usually be taken faith 1t matter OF
common knowledge
In Germany we get comparison of government with private
railroads for both operation side by side Government
ownership in competition with private begun in Germany about
ago. Statistical globues reach in while through
the publicity bureaus press agents systems which
are calculated to prejudice American opinion against the German
system government ownership But the great big significant fact
this that long period 70 the German people
have taken more kindly government ownership until
now per of the mileage governmental This
matter of common knowledge Germany all substantial respects
requires expert testimony Of the simple credu upon
expert testimony usually depends for acceptance
In Belgium which began government ownership some 20 years
ago. the tendency has steadily in that direction spite of
vae competition Today per of the mileage under govern
en ownership the tendency persstsat the point the tend
ency persists.
Switzerland the entire system governmental 1t was made
referendum after experience with private ownership Once
while our railway press give unvered figures about
these Swiss roads indicating bankruptcy But such gres
best to suspend udgmenat least until learn the extent to
which they may depend upon the excessive price the government was
forced to pay private interests resg these public highways
AS management the Swiss railroads have the reputation OF De
superior any private railroads IN Europe
railroad SYSTEM given over to private owner
ship been restored to government ownership within about three
years AS the new regime has been embarrassed by the wretche
condition Of the private system when taken the present sa
ton affords fine opportunity railroad stats cians They
pare railways Italy with private railways the United
States without comparing present government railways IN Italy with
recent private railways in Italy It
Sweden has had government ownership side by side with private
ownership the tendency has been constantly toward
complete government ownership There only inference
Probably the best European comparison of two countresone
with private and the other with ownership OF railroads
lis afforded by France and Germany AS these countries are
grou and similar they reasonably