The Washington times., 1915-03-02

The United Ne" Jersey Railroad Il Canal
Company and Harrisburg. portsmouth, Ai,.
10y 'r q Ia heaster haIlroau company. The ne.
income oi your Company not being suiuCi N.
10 provide the same: advances 10 Brancn
Lanes lor similar purposes, which were TN
able 10 meet the same OuL OF their own re-
sources. and advances Tor interest on. and
retirement Vi. water trust certificates anu
expenditures on your water supply .ystvm
also the rental ana leasehold settlement Oh
the Noihern Central hallway Company in
me adjustment OF the accounts undsr the
charge OF N.S+'.olU.s,i SO that the net smUunt
credIted to front anu Loss account curing
the year was -. $50. lHSl.
LEGISLATION
The increased scope and great burden Of
the duties and responsibilities imposed upon
the lhtGlstate Commerce Commission should
now be followed by the amCnun,enl oi the
Feder4i laws from which its authority is de-
rived III" commission shouj lie definite y
empowered by specific provisions IN tit Sc
laws TO strengthen the railroads, upon which
the welfare Of the Country largely de-
pehus' so as 10 encourage the investment
OF private capital for the expansion OF their
faciiities and services, and the preservai ion
OF their credit by means Of reasona ble rates
which Will accord with the higher COSTS and
burdens placed Oh them in complying with
statotor! requirements and gONernInenla "a |
awards anL regulations. The Commission
should be enlarged and SO organized as to
be able to deal promptly with the important
railroad questions which under the existing
scheme OF Governmental regulation must
be considered by it. The position OF "a Com
mlsssoner should be placed beyond politLa
influence by long tenure Of office. and the
compensation should be sufficient to attract
and retain men Of the widest experience ond
greatest ability. the regulatory power OF
the Commission should be clearly extended
to the supervision and control OF all rates
and practices which directly OF r-Io,
affect interstate transportAittn or commerce
and should include power - maintain a rate
structure approved b. ~ satisfactory to it,
even though to accomplish 'his it should be
necessary to prevent HedvsAtOns of rates to
compel advances Of rates found by the Com
mission to be unreaSonably low. An un-
reasonably low rate may he beneficial to
some one or more shippers but the rates OF
some other shippers sure to be disad-
vsntaReously affected thereby. The services
Of the Commission should be made availibl
TO remedy the concededly inadequate rev
enues OF the railroads for the transporta tion
Of mails and Parcel Post. and the power Of
Commissions, State and Federal suspend
increases In rates should be limited, So as to
the suspension Of rates subsequently deter
mined to be reasonable. Increases in wages
and other burdens which seriously enlarge
railroad expenses should not be imposed bv
legislation. or through awards of Govern
mental bodies. unless the ability OF the rail
roads to pay the same under the rate sched-
, ules then in effect is clearly apparent or un-
less the Interstate Commerce Commission Is
prepared to approve of increases in the rate
schedules that viii enable the railroads to
meet the same without impairment of their
credit efficiency.
Weak railroads among the greatest OBJ
stacles TO business enterprise and commerce
and the country will have too MANY weak
railroads unless constructive and equitable
policy Of public regulation Is practiced. rot
as palliative. but as permanent public
! and business necessity.
The railroads are stii burdensd With tAs