The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-09-26

tenn. tt44
 In connection with Buffa1o's harbor, the report quotes from the evidence of Col. Symons. formerly U. s. engineer there, as follows:
 Nearly all the property fronting on the outer harbor in fhis city is owned by the railroads and is not available except to the railroads; no private in terests can get in there. People who want to come here and establish a big industry and get a piece of property where it can be reached by lake ships, canal boats and railroads, can find no Susquehanna, the Pennsylvania, and the Lehigh, and that neighborhood, is not open for any business excepting railroad business; the railroads will not sell this unoccupied land, and will not consent to it's use by private in terests.
 Referring to the Large amount of water terminal frontage everywhere controlled by railroads, the report says cit is to be remembered that at present the rail and water systems are often in vigorous competition, that "the control by one system of the ter minals upon which a rival system is dependent is of serious importance, and that railroad frontage in central parts of a congested harbor frequently means that through traffic is crowd HE upOI 4Ocd1 ITdll1Cs the report says:
 The control of the New York, New Haven & Hartford over water traffic on Long Island Sound is partly based on it's control of large amount of water terminals, is especially promi- nent at Portland, Me, Boston, Fall River, Providence, New London, the Connecticut River, New Haven, ! In a number of cases, railroad con- tro1 of terminal facilities has worked to the disadvantage of water traffic. called, the attitude of the railroads has been distinctly hostile to general water traffic, the railroads even go- ing so far as to deny the use of their piers to freight not going. over their own lines, and, moreover. refusing the use of their piers to independent light craze concerns serving independent water or rail Hnes@
 In conclusion, Commissioner Smith says:
 of terminal facilities by railroads is one of the very serious factors in the entire problem. There is urgent ne- cessity for action which shall prevent this railway ownership Cor, for that
 matter, other private ownership or terminal property from resulting In unjust discrimination, and unneces- sary burdens upon commerce. There is also urgent need for far greater degree of practical co-ordination be- tween railroads and general water traffic, so as to unite into one effec- tive machine the entire transportation facilities of the country.
 How much ~and how closely the greater part of Commissioner Smiths report applies. to Bridgeport harbor, can be judged by any one -conversapt even slightly with local conditions. According to the report, Bridgeport harbor is the most rai1road-ridden of all the Sound ports and even of all New England ports, and perhaps of all Atlantic coast ports. Much of this7 untoward condition is due to the city's negligence, but a very considerable part is the result of the active cooper ation of some citizens with the gob- b1ing-up policy of the railroad com pany-for instance, in the compara- lively recent and practically free gift of Ii acres of -harbor area to the road. Of course the roads purpose has been, and still is. to bar out con1peti- tion, through which it might be conn., pelled to lower freight rates.