Valdez daily prospector., 1914-03-31
TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 1914.
THE GOVERNMENTS ALASKAN
 RAILWAY.

The government has undertaken to spend five times the price of all Alas ka in building railway through small portion of the territory. Gov ernment ownership of railways IS like matrimony. in that it is for pet
 ter or worse It is unlike matrlmony in that there is no relief, not even hy divorce or death. Government railways even more than other rall- ways run eternally, a. rivers to the sea. and their demands on the Treas ury are worse than an" wife's run on her husbands pockei5ook. rue cost of this Alaska venture is limited 10 $35,OOO.O00, it is true, but if that limit shall be observed it will be unique experience. Congress disposed of the business by turning il over to the president. He is told what to do, but is not told how to do it. He can choose the route, and he can buy or build the line He can operate the road. or he can make a contract for it's operation. The rates are to be regulated by the Interstate Commerce Commission, subject to the approv- al of the president" So wide is this discretion that the responsibility, and therefore the praise or the blame, be- longs to him alone. Nobody IS op- posed to the development of Alaska, but until this project develops itself under the presidents constructive hand there will be room for differ ence of opinion about legislation ill this manner. Whatever congress has been able to conceive, but has not ben able to accomplish in recent years has been turned over to some body else. an official or commis sion, and congress has taken up the next thing, as though the matter in hand were finished instead of started.
 It is to be hoped that the president will avoid building a road which may not be satisfactory to lle only pos sible operator. whoever he may be. That is the situation regarding government-b railway in Canada at this moment. The transcontinental road was estimated to cost $61,415.- 900, and was to be operated by the Grand Trunk. The latest estimate of cost is $234,651,521, and the Grand Trunk is reluctant to take over a road which is less attractive on the later basis of fixed charges; "$40.000,0O0 wasted" is 2 Canadian headline. That is only little more than the sum given to the president to spend.
 When the president is bargaining it may be hoped that he will make the bargain include the interests of the users of the railway The price of coal and the cost of freight are as important to shippers as the cost of co lstruction to the government
 The two quantities are so related that they might well be bound to- getiier. That is to say, it would be i've l if the builder were also the op- CT. or and under contract to operate in such manner that rates should fa. as profits rose There are ex- amplt.s of this in the case of some public utilities which are allowed to raise dividends only as prices are re- duced. If the president should proceed in this manner he would extract cred it rom a situation which has danger GUS possibilities as we'll as much proMise. He has an opportunity to use she plant and personnel from Pan;ma. He would do well to avoid the 'an ura precedent regarding the rate ,rorl. III. The Panama Railway rate 3.48 cents. against an aver age" rate for the United States of s,ree- !aar. IS of one cent. The Pan.--
 ne' llway has to include terminal har: on a short haul. and there are o4Ne,. adjustments which ought to be mNie in fairness. Yet. every al. Iowa, .:e would leave Panama gov ernment rate of double the private ratEway' sate.. If the Alaska exeri-
 nent shail have no better. result than that. the, experiment of government construction. will not justify itself