The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-18

propriate $50oO 900 for combating hog chol-
era He declared that the loss from the
disease this year would amount to $780,,
100000.
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that this view of the Attorney General Is
erroneous.
They found that the Attorney General
has very good understanding of the sit
uaiton in which the New Haven railroad
now finds itself. They learned that the
Attorney General had reasonable sympa-
thy with the new management They dis
covered that he was anxious to do moth
ing if he could help 1t which would add
to the already heavy embarrassments
which the chairman of the board. Howard
Elliott, and his as sociates are now fac
ing. Mr.. McReyno,ds did not want to i'm
pair the New Haven Railroad property.
He would gladly see this property re-
stored within the law to that condition
of prosperity which properly appertains
to 1t.
On the other hand. the Attorney Gem
eral was not long in discovering that the
new New Haven railroad management is
ready and even anxious to meet him
more than half way. The representatives
OF the company made In all sincerity, an
offer to place before him every particle OF
documentary data which the company
possesses and which might be of service
to him. They let him understand that If
they could learn in what way in the past
there had been breaches of the Sherman
law they would at once undertake to cure
those evils.
But 1t was frankly confessed that the
position in which the company finds it,
self now made the very attempt to re-
move those evils difficult. The company
is in possession of various trolley lines in
New England. The presumption Is that
the law will be satisfied, to that extent,
If the company rids itself of these proper
ties, but how is 1t going to do it? The
enforced sale of the trolley properties
would mean heavy loss.
So, also, the company is in possession
of various steamboat and steamship lines.
These represent s23000,OOOo of the COM
pany's money. If there were an enforced
sale of them the company probably could
not market them for much above $4,000, 900
or $4,000.000.
The Boston and Maine Railroad COM
pany has absorbed some s27 100000 of the
New Haven company's money. There is
no doubt that the new management of the
New Haven would jump at a proposition
to this effect--namely that the Boston and
Maine would pay over that s27 900. 600, IN
return for which the New Haven corn
pany would hand over it's interest in the
Boston and Maine. But the Boston and
Maine doesn't possess the money.
What Is Under Way
These are some of the considerations
which are before President Arthur r.
Hadley and other members of commit
tees which have been appointed to work
out answers to the problem. The prob
lem simply stated is this: How can the
New Haven Railroad company relieve it.
self of properties which in the aggregate
represent some s5O,00O.O00 or more of its
money without sustaining heavy loss?
Apparently the Attorney General is not
only willing but anxious that the man.
agement of the New Haven Railroad COM
pany shall have opportunity to dig down
to the roots of this problem and to DEM
onstrate that it Is now acting in perfect
sincerity. so as fully to meet the objec-
tions which the Attorney General both as
lawyer and as the administrative offi-
Ger of the department of Justice has
| raised to certain features of the New
| Haven companys present condition.
| There are good reasons for surmising that
| the Attorney General is of opinion that if
the New Haven railroad can rid itself of
! what he regards as illegal incumbrances
without incurring heavy losses. then the
new management OF the legally purified
company will be able to restore to that
property the prestige and prosperity
which at one time made 1t conspicuous
J for healthful conditions among the rail-
roads Of the United States.