The Washington times., 1913-03-12
RATE BODY FACES
AN IMMENSE TASK
Must Start Writing, Within Sixty Days, Full History Of coun
try's Railroads, Which Will Require Several Years Of
Hard Work-Protest Of Companies Expected.
BY JUDSON c. WELLIvER.

The greatest administrative task OF
its kind ever undertaken in this or any
other country is today faced by the In
terstate Commerce Commission, III Is
under instruction to write complete
history of the railroads of the country.
This is an incidental provision OF the
bill, passed by Congress and signed by
President Taft on March ], directing
the commission to make a HaiuaHor
of the railroads. teiegraphs. telephones
and-as It is understood by the COM
mssion-many of the street car systems
of the land.
The immensely of the task is almost
staggering to the commission. At the
conference which the commission held
Yesterday this matter was not taken up
formally, but Il is required by the law
that the business be set on foot within
sixty days.
Little Time Left.
This leaves little time for determining
| vast questions of policy, method and
administration. At the next conference
session of the commission, probably on
April :. the matter will have to be
taken up.
1t will require several years 10 do the
work, and it is estimated by officials
of the commission that from three to
five millions of dollars will repress mt
the cost A big organization. including
expert engineers, statistlclans' econo.
mists and writer's will have TO be
formed; in addition to which force
of hundreds of field workers, clerks,
ETC.. will be needed. 1t is expected
that, when the work is in full SWING.
the organization will be one of the
biggest bureaus of the Government, and
that its force will number more than
half as many paople as the entire es-
tablishment now operated by the Inter-
state Commission.
The real scope and significance of the
legislation which directs this big task
has not been realized till within the last
few days. The task was described by
a commission official today as "one that
gets bigger every time one looks al
that act
1t is expected that there will be pro-
test from the railroad managers when
they realize what is to be done. The
legislation pays no attention to fran
chise values, going concern" values.
and the like, which the railroads have
always contended were of great i'm
portance. 1t requires that all the prop
erty of every railroad shall be ap-
praised in detail. There shall be a
determination of its original cost, of Its
present value, and of the present cost OF
reproduction, with statements of the de-
probation that is charged off In reach
ing present valuation.
In making these determinations the
commission is directed to find what prop
erty was donated to each railroad, what
its value was when 50 donated, and
what it is now: by whom it vas dona-
ted, whether by the National or State
government in land grants, or by Ma
tion, States or cities in the form of
taxes or other subsidies. Reporting on
all this, the commission must present
detailed analysis of the method il pur-
sued in getting its facts and reaching
its conclusions. All property held by
a carrier for other purposes than that
of transportation, must be reported in
detail.
History Of Each Road.
The greatest task, in some ways, Is
the requirement of financial and ply
steal history of every railroad. This
is so written that it means in effect a
complete financial history of every rail-
road corporation that ever built any of
the railroads now in operation in the
country. 1t will not be sufficient to tell
all about the corporations now owning
and operating the properties. The thing
must start at the very beginning and
every organization. reorganization, re-
ceivership, sale. issue and reissue Of
securities. etc. must be detailed.
The commission is authorized TO re-
auire the cooperation of the railroads
the facts. Whether there is full au-
thority for enforcing this cooperation
is yet to be determined. 1t Is the hope
of the commissioners that the railroads