The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-10-02
Steam Railroad Toll in Vermont
During Past Two Years
TRESPASSING IS DEPLOREE
Vermont Public Service Commission Rec
ommends That Legislature Pass Law
Imposing Substantial Fine for
Railroad Track Trespassing.

Tn its thirteenth biennial report, made
public to-day, the Vermont public service
commission deplores the continued
waste of lives caused by trespassing on
the railroads, declaring that out of the
8S people killed on steam railroads dur
ing the past two years 81 or about 40
per cent, were killed while, and because
of, trespassing.
In connection herewith, the commits
sion says:
THE great majority of people so
killed are not 'hobos,' nor aimless wan
derers who might be expected to be care
less of their lives, but are business or
professional men, regularly employed
workingmen, women and children, whose
deaths are distinct loss to the commu-
nifty. Most of them are people living
or working near the railroad tracks.
"The Importance of this subject is
sufficient justification for our taking so
much space Herewith. We have done
our duty. This is the third time that
we have deemed it our duty to call this
matter TO the attention of the legisla
ture. Now the responsibility is with
the legislature. We earnestly recon-
mend the enactment of law that shall
provide substantial penalty for tres
passing on railroad property, except
directly to cross the same. That will
obvate the chief danger, which CON
sists in walking along the various rail-
road roadbeds, but will not penalize
what is often almost a necessity, and
what really is fraught with little dan
ger, namely, directly crossing the rail
road right of way
The commission recommends a statute
providing substantial punishment for
persons who trespass on the right of
way OF any railroad.
Loss of Lives on Street Railroads.
During the two years covered by this
report, eight were injured and FIVE killed |
on electric railways in this state COM
pared with 20 injured and killed the
two years previous. The number of !
persons killed or injured by coming in |
contact with the electric wires for the |
two years follows:
KILLED, IA; injured, 10; linemen or |
other employees killed, 7; injured, IL.
"The commission suggests new legis-
lation and modification of existing stat
utes as follows:
NJ. llU. AUS Vi 1910 tiidHgtu tue !
name Of the commission to public service |
commission and increased its duties by
giving it supervision of substantially
all persons doing public service business.
Section 90 of that act provides that
nothing shall be construed as giving the
commission power to prevent or re-
strict competition or limit the number
of persons or companies engaging in fur
t,.,hf han 30
That section should be repealed and
a statute enacted providing that while
there is a particular service business
subject to supervision, no other person
or corporation shall engage in the same
business in that community until after
hearing on petition it eertifies that the
cation. A public service corporation is
a natural monopoly There is no such
thing as competition between two or
more public utilities furnishing the
same community the same product.
What in that case is called COMPETE
ton is in fact, war and ends in destruc-
ton or absorption of the weaker con. )
testant and in consequent public harm. .
Some Changes Made t
Interesting changes have occurred in S
the railroad situation in this state of r
manifest public benefit The New V
York, New Haven & Hartford now CON c
trolls the Boston & Maine, the St h
Johnsbury & Lake Champlain and the
Montpelier & Wells River and has OBJ T.
aimed permission to purchase from the Il
New York Central its controlling inter a
st in the Rutland railroad through the u
light to make that purchase is being fl
contested. If the control is secured,
reight and passenger traffic over the o.
Rutland will be increased materially. f.
"A Boston & Maine mileage. at two b.
ents is good on all roads just stated to u
'e controlled by the New York. New b
haven 4 Hartford through sleeping "
ar service has been instituted between
BARRE, Montpelier and Boston. Ten new