The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-12-15

freight car charges, the report says
After agreeing that some increase in Il
rates should be allowed, the conferees L
say that it is a perplexing question
how this increase shall be affected, but
it appears that the additional revenue |.
must come in the main from freight /
traffic.
The commissioners believe it mad I
visahle to increase long-distance rates, I
as such action would increase the trans I
portation cost to New England manu- |
facturers without increasing the costs /
to competitors in other parts of the |
country The commissioners hold that
class and commodity local rates on the
Boston & Maine ought to be dealt with
first The railroad company proposed
to apply uniform mileage scale Of
class rates on all parts of its system,
but this plan was rejected by the com.
nissioners because it ignored traffic
density aud other differences in operat-
ing costs.
.'Instead = continues the report,
1--WE have divided the Boston Maine
lines into two classes. Glass A en-
braces the following main lines be-
tween Boston and Portland: main line
between Boston and Concord, n. H.;
entire main line of the Fitchburg,
Cheshire and Troy branches of the
| Fitchburg; main line between Spring
| field. Mass, and Windsor, VT; main
| line from Worcester TO Nashua; Stony
Brook branch. Saugus branch, Lexing-
ton branch, Watertown branch and
| Medford branch Glass B includes all
other lines of the system.
! 1--WE have approved the railroad
maximum mileage schedule from class
| \ lines We think that schedule IS
o-3 per cent higher should be applied
on class 3 lines, and that between
points on class A lines and class B
lines a constructive mileage should be
made up by adding together the actual
mileage on the class a line and the
tactual mileage on the class B line, plus
lbs per cent Of class B distance, and
that to this constructive mileage the
lclass \ scale should be applied.
THE scales thus approved differ rad
ically from that first presented by the
railroad While some increase in rev.
enue will result to the carrier, our cen
trail thought has been to provide sys-
tenn Of local class rates which would
remove the glaring determinations be
tween individuals and localities which
now exist, and pave the way for a
proper revision of the commodity
rates Of that company
Referring to q proposal to increase
passenger rates, the commissioners say
that two of the states served by the
Boston & Maine require that mileage
books be sold on the basis Of two cents
! mile elf mileage books were solo
at 21I cents instead Of two cents pc
mile. and local fares were adjusted a
a minimum of 2lI cents and maxi
mum Of pa cents per mile, the rela
/ ton between the mileage book and tn
! present fare would be u more just on
. than now exists We are all of tn
! oninion that these passenger fares nee
{ rcadiustment and that the statutes o
: those states which might interfere wit
! a uniform treatment of this subiec
4 should be so modified that. if possible
II some just rule applicable to all teri
{ tory may be formulated. Assumin
i that the same number of mileage book
2 were sold as at present, an increase {
Il onefourth Of a cent mile woul
2 yield additional revenue of approx
= natelv 100000 per year.
q ..CIearlv no increase in rates shoul
be allowed until it is made reasonabl
certain that the revenues of this cor
; panv Will be prudently expended in II
!, public interest Mr.. Elliott, the chi'
executive of the New Haven compan
which is the owner of majority
the stock of the Boston & Maine, AZ
70 | Mr.. Mcdonald, the newly appointC
n president of the Boston & Maine itsel
& were both called before the eonferen
Is and were asked what assurance cou
ne be given for the future. They bo
e. replied, in substance, that they cou
81 only say that so long as they we
ut identified with the management
&c these New England railroads their be
re efforts would be expended to secure
re satisfactory and efficient operation.
- The present financial condition
VI the Boston & Maine railroad is critic
= Nobody can tell exactly what shou
=, be done to protect the just interes
~ of all concerned. 1t may finally tn
Ter out that these properties should
nd thrown into the hands OF recelv
ed and pass through process OF reorgf
mr.. Iization. but this would be a calaml
its (which ought to be avoided If possib
lst The present condition was years
he forming and VIII require years in
correction If disaster is to be avo
he led, all interested parties must exerc