Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-07-10
NEW HAVEN GIVEN
ROAST BY |. {. {.
System Condemned in Unmcas-
ured Terms for Wasteful
Financial Management.
Wontinucd from page onc.J

primarily responsible for this unfortunate
agitat ton. That agitation can not stop,
and ought not to stop. until It's cause Is
removed. ANY bctterment Of railroad !
conditions IN New England must begin
with the assurance that the New Haven |
management Will act not only prudently
but, above all, within the letter and the
spirit OF the law"
The commission, the report points out
Is l;eenly alive to the fact that the stocks
of both the New Haven and the Boston
a. Maine a-e owned largely iu New Eng
land by estates and persons who depend
upon them ~ Investments
~ ia unfortunate" continues the re.
port, that the widows and orphans must
suffer but they. in theory, are re-
sponSible for the management which
their action, or possibly their failure to
act has sanctioned II the stockholders
Of those properties, instead Of vllifying
the critics Of the New Haven, had given
some attention to the charges made,
their property would to-day be of greater
value and the problem an ensier one"
The Panama canal act Of 1911 requires
:he railroads to relInquish ownership or
cuntro Of steamship lines competing with
their raj lines. The report suggests that
this law disposes Of the matte. of the
New Hovon's water lines. I. continues:
Tn our opinion the New Haven should
divssst Itself OK rs trolley lines The
acquisition Of trolley lines as we'll as
steam lines which ere competitive t. al
ready prohibited. hut this docs not reach
tie root of the matte"
u. s MUST TAKE CONTROL.
10 the New Haven company Isl per
mittcd to remain in control of the Bos-
ton q Maine system there will exist an
almost exclusive monopoly of the trans-
portatiou facilities by railroad in the
greater part of New England. II would
seem to be perfectly apparent that if this
monopoly is suffered to exist there must
hc somewhere a power of regulation
which is co-extcnsive with the monopoly.
In other words. the federal government
must assume jurisdiction over the main
tenancc and operation of these railroads
In SO far as may be necessary to secure
to the public q proper service. This in
vcstigation emphasizes the fact that sorv-
ice Is often of even greater Importance
than the rate Itself
rs criticism of both freight and pass
cnGer service developed, both We're con
sidcred. To both the New Haven and
the Boston Il Maine the report gives
credit for prompttude and general eX-
cellence in their passenger service, al
though it is distinctly noted that safety
of operation has not been considered"
summing mp the passenger service,
Commissioner prouty says: Upon the
whole the record shows that the per
Torrance of the passenger trains of the
New Haven is good, distinctly better than
! that upon any othev system operating
i'm the State Of New York: while that
upon the Boston * Maine is fully equal
to that upon any New York system
While there is room for Improvement
New England should be we'll satisfied up
on the whole with the passenger per-
Torrance of these lines under inyestiga-
ton"
BOTH ROADS LACK STEEL CARS.
Adverse criticism is made Of the pas
sengor-train equipment of both tn New
Haven and the Boston X Maine. 1t IS
said by statistics to be not Up-to-date,
Both roads lack steel cars and vcstihulei
cars, both of which make for comfort
and safety of travellers 1t is shown that
other lines, in these respects, are far
better equipped than the New England
roads
The serious complaint of the freight
service, particularly Of the .oston &
Maine demonstrated, the report
says beyond question that in many
cases there had been most serious
short-comlng i'm the quality of tn" serv-
ice rendered. 1t raised presumption
that the service OF the Boston 4 Maine,