The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-07-10

hOWSNOAg AAS NAANASAN~N N"~' -
sely for lack Of steel cars.
That the freight service Of the
Boston and Maine is much less re-
able than that of either the Pen
nsylvania or the Baltimore and
Ohio, while that Of the New Haven
is slightly inferior TO the Pennsyi-
vania, but about on a par vita the
Baltimore and ONO"
hat passengt fares in New la :
| land have been more favorable to
the local travelling public than in
any other portion of the United
States.
That ANY betterment of railroad
conditions In New England must be-
gin with the assurance that the New
Haven management will act not on
ly prudently but, above all, within
| the letter and the spirit of the law"
No order was made by the COM
mission, but in it's opinion the fol
lowing propositions, which have ma
tional application to all railroads, lie
at the foundation of adequate rail
road regulation
Every interstate railroad should
be prohibited from expanding money
or mourning liabilities or acquiring
property not in the operation of It's
railroad or in the legitimate improve
ment, extension or development of
| that railroad.
mo Interstate railroad should be
permitted to lease or purchase any
other railroad nor to acquire the
| stocks or securities of any other
| railroads, nor to guarantee the same,
directly or indirectly, without the
approval of the federal government.
mo stocks or bonds should be is
sued by an interstate railroad ex-
| cept for the purposes sanctioned in
the two preceding paragraphs, and
none should be issuer without the
| approval of the federal government"
Commissioners Clements and
Marble submitted a concurring opin-
ion in which they "agree heartily
with the report" but make their
position clear as to some of the is
sues mentioned. Concerning the
merger of the New Haven and the
Boston and Maine, they assert that
this is a phase of the subject that
should be left to the Congress, just
as the issues under the antitrust law
have been left to the courts. If It
were properly to be considered were,
however, We would give weight to
the suggestion that the merger has
so overloaded the executive heads
of the entire aggregation as to i'm
pair not only correct and economi-
cal financial administration but also
efficiency and safety of operation
The Boston and Maine and the New
Haven are shown by the report to
be separable organically. They are
not one system, but two systems I'M
der one management Therefore.
closer uperintendence, with cores
ponding gains in efficiency and safe
ty might be expected from disso-
luton of the merger.
No competition between carriers
is unimportant. Moreover any sup
preston of competition involves lar
ger issues, which must be discussed
by those who are charged with the
duty of legislation. The proposed
continuation of the inquiry into the |
matter of increases in rates ought |
not to be held in advance of the |
posting of such rates for the infor- |
Aii'Nioh VI tlt oHipptlS NHO must
pay them The report strongly sug-
gests that increased net income for |
the Boston and Maine should bel
secured by a reform in expenditures |
rather than by an increase of rates" |
The inquiry resulting in yester- |
days report was begun about a year |
ago by the commission upon its own |
Initiative. in consequence of numer- |
Gus andpersistent complaints of the |
railroad rates, regulations and SER
vice in New England The carriers |
particularly investigated were the |
New York, New Haven and Hartford |
the Boston and Maine and the Maine |
Central. Months were devoted to |
examination of books and accounts |
and 81 days were devoted TO public |
hearings, in the course of which |
more than 5000 pages of testimony |
were taken. The report is divided |
under four general heads, Ser |
vice" Rates" Finances" and 'The |
Remedy" Commissioner Prouty, who |
has devoted much of his time during !
the last year to the inquiry, discuss. /
es exclusively each phase. The |
report aggregates nearly 10000 |
words, of approximately 25 columns |
IN the average newsDaper