The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-03-14
New Haven Road Aghast Al Demand
 Of Government
Corporation Ordered to Give Up Wharyes and Trol->
 ley Lines
LOCAL PROPERTY
 IS AFFECTED
Buckland Denies That Com pany Has Monopoly of
 Water Fronts

Washington, March 14-Attorney- General McReyno1ds is determined to
 strip the New Haven railroad of all it's transportation accessories The
 much-heralded conference at the de- partment yesterday was confined very largely to discussion about trolley lines in the Berkshires, in Rhode Island and
 in Connecticut, but also to what may
 be most significant of all, to discussion
 about it's wharfage holdings. The
 latter properties, owned in fee simple
 by the New Haven, are extensive. The
 railroad has valuable wharves at cit ies along the Sound, including Brid ge- port, New Haven, Hartford, Fall Riv- CT, New Bedford and at Providence. The department proposes that these shall be sold, along with trolley lines and steamships. Vice-President Buck land was before the conference to-day with maps showing what these wharves are. He described at length how Wharves were acquired. The conference will be resumed next week.
 Chairman Elliott did not participate in the meeting, having had to con- suit a dentist. but Attorney EInds, Grim and Story. were with Special As5 sistants Adkins and Gregory, repre- senting the department most of the day. It was said last night officially that there was little reference to the Boston and Maine, or to the time linn it during the meeting, these topics to be brought up later. It was also said that there were no indications of a break between the New Haven and the department of justice, but that probably in due season complete agreement would be reached.
 ss It was very plain from ,to-day,s pro- ceedings that neither She department Of justice nor the New Haven railroad officials have been taking the public extensively into their confidence as to what is going on in these negotiations A big campaign of bluff is in progress outside the department, but, on the other hand, it may require much time yet to straig1aten out all the kinks and get an understanding that all parties will agree to. Yesterdays program must have been we'll understood in ad- vance, because both Vice-President Storrs and Buck1and were on hand with data to present regarding trolley lines and. wharves. It is, claimed the New Haven matter has been carried to President Wilson Representative having made protest against the vigorous course of the departm e9t and to have obtained from the president a. promise that before anything. was decided he would look into the agree ment. A White House official, who says he was present while MT. Peters called on the president, declares that the subject of the New Haven railroad was not mentioned.
 The New Haven's s representatives of fered to compromise the Governments demand that all it's trolley lines should pass out of it's control. The
 basis of the compromise proposal was
 control of tro1leys in Massachusetts
 and Rhode Island, but should keep those in Connecticut
 It was understood that an agree
 ment was reached as to the personnel
 of the five trustees who are to look after the New Haven's stock inter ests in the Boston & Maine after the
 dissolution of the merger and until this stock was sold. Two of the trus- tees will be former Chief Justice Know1ton of the Massachusetts Su- preme Court, a resident of Springfield, and former City Solicitor Doherty of Springfield.
 Vice President BuckIa14d, in a two hour argument over thee proposal that the New Haven dfvest itself of it's wa ter-front rights and properties, ex-
 p1ained that the New Haven owned these properties in fee simple, and that they were absolutely essential to the operation of it's lines.
 The properties and rights he said, had been paid for by New Haven stockholders. and they would lose
 heavily if the properties were disposed of under forced sale Conditions. The proposal set forth in behalf of the Department of Justice was that
 through it's ownership of waterfront terminals, wharfage sites, Sc. the New Haven had acquired a. monopoly of the water commerce of cities in southern New England. Mfr. Buck land denied that any such monopoly existed.
 Suggestions had been made at va
 rious, times that these properties be sold to the communities in which they
 are located, and the New Haven had met these suggestions on certain occa-
 sions by offers to sell, but its terms for
 obtaining fair returns had not been
 met.