St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-04-05

opposition companies have been ac-
quired and merged into the Bell sys-
tenn. There is no question but that
the public are tired of dual telephone
exchange systems, and that so fast as
confidence in protection against the
real or imaginary evils of monopoly
increases, opposition against mergers
will decrease.
The report says: Public eontrof
or regulation of Public Service Cor
porations by permanent commissions
has come and come to stay. Effective,
aggressive competition and regula-
ton and control are inconsistent with
each other, and counsel he had atthe
same time. Aggressive competition
means duplication of plant and in
vestment. The ultimate object of such
competition is the possession of the
field wholly or partially; therefore it
means either ultimate combination
on such basis and with such prices as
will cover past losses, or it means
loss of return on investment, and
eventually loss of capital. However
1t results, all costs of aggressive, IN
controlled competition are eventually
borne, directly or indirectly, by the
public
There is much more to the effect
that monopoly in the telephone and
telegraph business is a good thing
for everybody. Granting that the tele-
phone business is in az class by it
self, can't the same arguments be APP
piled to the common carriers of mer-
chandise as well as of conversation
Much can be said in favor of one rail-
road and one express company cover
ing the entire United States to the ex-
clusiOn of all others. However, if
that condition ever comes, it will
have to be through government own
ership.
Thus saith the Bellows Falls Times
and it is not our purpose to defend
Mr.. Wallis utterances because he ex-
presses his opinions so clearly and
logically they need no explanation
by an outside party. The only issue
we take with the Times is the state
ment in the last sentence of it's edi-
torial. 1t seems to us that it might
be possible to give a practical mono
ply of the railroad traff1cs over any
natural contributing territory with
out government ownership. Let us
take the state of Vermont for ex-
ample. The Central Vermont rail-
way has territory separated from
the Boston and Maine field on the
east by range of MOUNTAINS. 1t
is manifestly better for the people of
each of these sections to be served
by single road controlled by public
have two roads built through it's ter
ritory. Again if the Vermont lines
did not extend beyond Vermont it is
equally plain that it would be better
to have the railroads in each field
under the control of one management
subject to proper public control than
to have two arrangements with their
large expenses in the two fields. But
of course under existing conditions
it is not to be expected because each
road uses it's Vermont tracks as a
part of greater systems.
Without proper public control such
monopoly has proven dangerous and
it is past abuse of the monopoly that
has caused such hostility against it.
Under proper control the public can
free itself with safety from the enor-
nous expense of dual equipments for
any line of public service. Two rail-
roads in one field bounded by nat
ural barriers means twice as much
essary, the operation of twice as
many trains as are necessary and the
of twice as many man
ayers as are necessary. If each road
is to pay fair returns upon the capital
invested it will mean twice as high
rates in that territory as are neces-
sary. If proper returns on the capt.
tai are not paid it will mean the loss
of the capital and it IS not reasonable
to expect that. These things must
make it clear that service by a single
organization or monopoly can be bene-
fetal to the public. The only thing
necessary is a system of sane regula-
ton which will ensure the people it
will be beneficial to them. Govern
ment ownership is not necessary to
ensure proper control and it should
not be offered as an alternative or
protection from monopoly. Rather let
us admit that regulation has come to
stay and government restrictions can
be made as extensive as the fields in
which monopoly can proftably operate
and try reasonable public control
The mountain has labored and
brought forth a mouse in the New