Norwich bulletin., 1913-03-08
NO RELIEF IN COAL
 PRICES IN SIGHT Retail Dealers Convention in Boston Told That Rates Will Be as High Next Winter.

At the two-day convention of the Retail Coal Dealers association of New England, held in Boston this week, where Charles H. Haskell of this city the morning. session Wednesday was of informal character as a number of members from the floor voiced their sentiments regarding phases of the coal business. One opinion was that there was a strong probability of coal being as high next winter as 1t has been this season. Another statement ventured was that the anthracite bus mess is going to be placed on a more satisfactory basis within the next two years. third member believed that the dealers must make up their minds to pay even more for anthracite than they have in the past.
 Professor Bruce Wyman of the Har- yard Law school, told the association that there was need of giving the interstate commerce commission pow CT to give relief in all cases of bad service which had been brought to it's attention by special complaint. Pro- lessor Wyman spoke on Transports ton for New England, and said in part:
 T am of the opinion that it is good thing to have a commission with power to keep the service up to the mark. Now that the confusion necessarily attendant upon the merger is being solved. the public has a right to ex- pect from this time forth an Increas- ing betterment in the service. EX- cuses can be made for delays during a period of readjustnrent: but the pres ent management should be warned that the time has already come W hen it must justify it's present power over New England transportation by giving us so much better service that we have ever known.
 We need new terminals, more tracks, bigger transfer houses, and larger classification yards before any management however determined can render the service which the growth of our industries require. Fully as much as the reconstruction of our trackage we need a coordination of our facilities. We have an exasperating railroad map as un inheritance from the old days when hundreds O. com peting railroads waged their petty warfare. We have not only tracks now which are not needed, but some connections which should be built A New England transportation commits sion could work out with the New England railroad system a scheme for this revision of our railroad routes upon a scientific basis This is a transformation district into which we must be able to get our raw materials cheaply and out of which we must be able to ship our finished product to 
 The solution of the transportation problem of New England is not by breaking down the system which the of the Attest has produced. It is by making this system har- monious and by remouIding it nearer to our desires.
 <tOf course in any action which should be taken the independence of each state in affairs which are purely local should be preserved. Only in those matters which vita1ly affect New England whole should the joint board. representing the states as whole take part. For example Massa- chusetts should rave nothing to say concerning a new station at New Ha- ven. nor should Connecticut interfere with the eIectrifica ton around Boston. On the other hand, New England as a whole is vitally interested in the diff ferential rates into western territory and in the retention of the rail and water rOutes- What is essentially in tra-stat should be left to the states as now, but in interstate matters pc culiarly affecting us. we need q joint board to give instructions to our trans pOFtatiOn companies.