The Washington times., 1912-11-15
NtKfNGtAND
STARTS FIGHT
ON RAILROAD
Hearings on Traffic Monop-
olyTo Begin Next
Week.
CONTINUED from First Page)

VOntlnueu from rITst EaSc''
Z force of experts from the accounting
department OF the commission has been
at work for some time past at New
Haven, In the general offices OF the
road. In tho effort to dig out detaileo
facts concerning the finances OF the
property. When these experts were
sent, 1t was anticipated that there
would be some opposition to laying am
Information before them; btu since they
have been at work in New Iayen, no
word has come from them inaicla."s
that they were cncountering obstacles OF
this sort The present understanaing
at tho offices of the commission is that
the railroad people are opening their al
fairs frankly and fully to the investiga-
tors, and that 1t is going to be possible
to secure a complete financial exhibit.
While this investigation OF finances
has been going on under one bureau OF
the commission. another INQUIRY, ehtire-
ly Independent, yet very intimately re-
inted In ultima;e purpose. mas n,np%a,,ao Seea G
tices" OF the road. This In short, means
a general. searching inquiry into the
methods OF operating the road and the
A vrst volume of complaints from
New England inspired this latter In
uuiry. whether conditions In New
England have really been worse than
not yet say" explained the official
But the people up there undoubtedly
believe they are. and We have under
taken to make a very detailed study Of
them.
Bad Service Indicated.
For example. we had n careful SUR
vey made Of the freight shipments to
and from the towns Of Nashua, N. H..
Bridgeport. Conn, and Portland. Me,
for a fixed period. Every shipment from
o. to either place was traced out In de-
tail. to determine exactly how long a
time II had occupied. We have not had
detailed reports on this phase OF the in
vestiga ton: but some data have come
which seem to indicate a bad service.
For instance. from Hartford Conn.
60 Holyoke, Mass, is. as recollect
thrty-six miles. The normal time
that the company claimed for getting a
shipment from one town 10 the other
was thre days. II everything worked
right. the delivery would be made in
that time; but there was percentage
q cases In which one. two, or more ad-
dttlonal days would be required 1t has
feemed as II this did not indicate a high
efficiency IN service.
Between New York and Boston, ap-
parently. there Is not much ground for
complaint about service. Boston, though
i Is thoroughly d!saffected with being
dependent on single railroad, and con-
WINGED tina. It's proper development de-
mands more roads. nevertheless is in
vastly better condition than the average
interior city. These are the places that
most seriously feel the effects OF the
conditions against which complaint, is
made"
Protest Is General.
Those matters have been for years the
subject Of protest throughout New Eng
land. When the New Haven secured
control Of the Boston and Maine. there
was intense excitement but the matter
was finally adjusted by the organization
Of holding corporation which took over
the New Haven's stock In the Boston
and Maine. This plan was given tho ap-
proYal OF the MassaC husettA leg slatlIrn