The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-04-23
E. II. DILLON & co.
SOLVING RAILROAD PROBLEM i
New Hampshire Points the Way With Legislation Permitting Reasonable Rate Increases-Nfayor Fitzgerald of Boston Emphatic in Approval.

of Boston Emphatic in Approval. co. G. Riggs of N. Y, N. H. & H. R. R.)
 The New England situation is clear ing. Thinking men, disgusted at the
 effect of the recent campaign of vii
 tuperation, are beginning to assert
 themselves The inevitable answer has
 been from the first that fair play
 question only remained,-When would
 that time arrive? The time is now
 here; the movement is we'll under
 way
 The action of the New Hampshire
 legislation on Monday, April 14th,
 marked the turn of the tide of legis-
 lative and public opinion toward the
 problems of railroad management. On
 that date by a vote of 179 to 138 and
 after a day devoted to debate, the
 New Hampshire legislature nullified
 the previous action of a committee
 and instructed that committee to re-
 port a bill giving to the Boston &
 Maine railroad the power to raise its rates above the limit at present fixed
 by New Hampshire law.
 On Tuesday, immediately following the action of the New Hampshire leg islators, Henry M. Whitney, konwn
 throughout the country as a sane bus mess man of good Judgment, gave out a comprehensive interview in which he advocated a similar action gener- ally. In the course of the interview MT Whitney called attention to the large wage increase within the past decade and noted that where private enterprise was forced to pay addition al manufacturing or maintenance costs, 1t was permitted to charge more for its output; and then said, "But the railroads have not been permitted to HlrA aAfr~ Nrl1o for the service they have performed at their increased costs. Their bus mess has been much increased in the gross but the net has been growing smaller by degrees. All that is nec- essary to be done to establish the credit of the Boston & Maine Railroad is to permit it to apply the common principles of business to it's opera tions. Let 1t be understood that the people of Massachusetts are willing to have the road placed in this posi- ton and the whole problem is solv- ed" Continuing, MT. Whitney said, why not tell the people frankly and plainly that the only remedy for the existing unfortunate condition of things is to allow the roads to increase their revenues in the ordinary way, and he suggested that the Boston Chamber of Commerce and all inter ested business organizations take the initiative and request the Interstate organizations take the initiative and request the Interstate Commerce Commission to permit this rate in crease to be made.
 The third of the interesting devel- opments following within week the action of the New Hampshire Legisla- ture saw the light of day on Thursday, when it became known that the Mas sachusetts Real Estate Exchange had adopted a resolution from an ap- pointed Committee in which it is clearly set forth that investigation shows the increase of operating cost has been greater in proportion than the increase of population and of bus iness'' and resolves That, therefore, l the Interstate Commerce Commission be requested to permit under the law such reasonable advances in railroad rates may be necessary and proper to furnish proper transportation fa- | cilities to insure the safe investm ent | of any additional capital necessary for l the purpose; and that the Massachu- | setts Railroad Commissioner be re- | quested to do all acts and things nec- | essary or proper under the law to CO., operate to this end." Thus does the | Massa chusetts Real Estate Exchange | become the first body to indorse this new movement of liberal cooperation | in New Hampshire and | in which the salvation of the present 1 situation lies.
 On Friday the Hon. John F. Fitz- gerald, Mayor of Boston, in inter view said: This is a time when men | who know the situation should speak out plainly. There is too much dem agoguery, and too many false notions crammed into the heads of plain cit izens. I think that if the savings bank depositor and the railroad em- ployee, for example, were educated along financial lines, business inter ests would be accorded greater con- 
 For instance" continued the may or, the employees of our railroa ds and the public generally should be given to und erstand that per cent. is considered the legal rate of interest. The laws of the state refuse the right to savings banks to invest in bonds of corporations unless 6 per cent. div dends running over a period of five successive years have been paid. This s not a conf1scatory rate. In fact, .here are sections of the country where money can be invested in 1e- gitimate enterprises for 8 per cent md 10 per cent Therefore the in erstate commerce commission and the 'ailroad commission should permit 'ates, both for passengers and freight hat will insure this dividend, and at he same time give a living wage to he employees.
 Unless this is done'' said the may ,r in concIusi n, 'fit will be impossible ] or New England to raise the hun lreds of millions of capital for the building of railroads which is neces- ary for it's prosperity during the next en years."
 ADVFRTTSE IN THE FARMER.