New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-08-15
ENGLISH RAILWAYS
Measures of Public Control.
Lessons f0r America. pne

LONDON. August z =
American correspondents are aski,.
questions about government control -
railways i'm England They start us,,
the erroneous idea that the administers
ton here is exceedingly lax respects.
CORPORATIONS, whereas i'm reality II h..
been rigorous and almost drastic fro,.
the beginning British conservatism
the protection of public rights has h.
come in the end radicalism in the ssper.
vision and regulation Of railway tra.s
The corporations have never been Al,
lowed to get out Of hand. They ws.~
compelled to construct their lines solld,,
and extensively, so as to secure put5,
safety and convenience; there was thor
ough inspection of new work by govern.
rnent experts before IL was Set in opera.
ton: there was systematic INVESTIGATES,
of accidents by competent officials, thar.
were adequate safeguards against nesH.
gence and unfair prejudice I'm the man.
agement of traffic and terminal facilite.
and there was comprehensive super.
vision of every detail of the railwav
business by an open court where grisr.
ances could be heard and redressed
officials Of the Board Of Trade har.
read with amazement the text Of n.
new railway law in which Presid.ns
Taft has interested himself. What seem,
to be regarded I'm America as a radical
measure OF control is described by e.
perts here as exceedingly cautious and
conservative legislation. Parliament and
the Board of Trade have gone nuca
further than Congress in establishing
uniform classification of freight charges
in regulating rates on a mileage basis
and in securing uniform terminal sael-
tiles
The railway department OF the Board
OF Trade was constituted as early a.
1910, and a board of commissioners t0r
the whole kingdom was organized sir
years afterward. The functions Of TIA
DEPARTMENT were enlarged by subsequent.
acts and the commission transformed n
1873 into a court, to which all questions
of traffic, preference and managemsnt
could be referred for settlement. Ths
railway corporations, instead Of objeet-
ing to government supervision and ean.
troll, have welcomed IL as a practical
method of commanding public cons
dence and imparting stability to seem.
tiles and investments That has ben
the uniform experience. from the con
struction of the earliest English lines %
the important experiment in arbitratai
by which a general railway strike vas
recently prevented through the interyen-
ton of Mr. Lloyd-George-
Government control by systematic
measures and equitable processes has
helped the English railways instead e
retarding their progress That is the
most important lesson for Americans
from British experience. The Interstate
Commerce Commission. so far as il has
received authority from Congress. is en-
abled to adopt only half measures et
supervision in comparison with the rail-
way commissioners here. In place OF
political agitation and depression in tns
exchanges, everything in the direction Of
public control is taken as q matter Of
course in England. and the corporations
themselves benefit heavily by orderly
regulation. Ut
The railway and canal traffic act Of
1854 placed corporations under oohga-
ton to supply reasonable facilities for
receiving, forwarding and delivering pas
sengers and goods without unnecessary
delay. There was the Fundamental re-
uuirement that no railway corporation
should give amy undue or unreasonaois
preference or advantage TO or IN faVoF
of any particular person or company, or
any particular description Of tra1ne' LII
any respect whatsoever" WheneVe
facilities were withheld, or there was
cause of complaint of prejudice ana W.
equal treatment. the courts were epehes
for hearing of the case. and the issue OF
a writ of Injunction and penalties ana
COSTS we're authorized. BY the act OF
1873 the railway commissioners "ei0
substituted for the courts as the aulho''
tiles for hearing complaints and lssu'ns
orders and writs. and the junction
s,pervising traffic was enlarged IN sew
erai directions.
The companies were required 10 Keep
books and lists at stations showing rates
charged under special contracts, WIN
distances and other details The com
missioners were empowered TO lnVesil'
gate alleged violations of Law, 10 arei-
trate cases between companies. TO ~
terminal charges. 10 regulate the coz
vevance of mails. to withhold sanctassI
from agreements between railways aa'
canals and to exercise control over CO.
porstions in other respects.
The act of 1873 was amended hf'ssa
vears afterward. and strengthened a.
many points. The commission was gen
stituted as a court of record. us Ju'''
dictfon and procedure were deniieu' a..
appeals from it's decisions TO superio'
court of last resort were resdid'e'-
Under the head of traffic. Classlnca'''-
of freight rates on mileage OASIS W.
defined, publication of annual sche'1','
of charges was required. undue p'e
srencss and unequal tolls were es'.
with uniform terminal charges aa
ma x;mum rates were explained aDl
mowers and obligations reSpeOs
through rates we're safeguarded- "a
This act of 1888 carries cut m aess
the principle of the original act OF III -
that there shall be an open door io
corners and that the traffic ~ the 20
WAYS shall be conducted without pre-
ence for or prejudice against any H'' ),