The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-12-06
IL. S. CONTROL
!. OF RAILROADS
Commerce Commission Rec
ommends Unifcation
by Carriers
FOR PERIOD
OF THE WAR
With Government Financial
Aid or Operation by
the Nation

Washington, Dec. 6.-Government con
Itrol in operation of the railroads of tn
United States during the war is recon
mended in a special report to Congress
lby the interstate commerce commission
yesterday.
The commission regards unificat;on a
the only solution to the freight conges
ton of the country and the railroad
crisis.
After reciting conditions the commits
sion says:
"The alternative is operation as a unit
by the president during the period of the
WAR as war measure under the wal
powers vested in him by the constitution
and those which have been or may be
conferred by Congress-
A minority opinion written by Com
missioner McChord, while concurring in
the recommendations for government OPP
Grafton of the roads as unit, suggests
that the government war organizations
facing the most dire need, such as the
food and fuel administrations and the
war industries board, have a hand in the
operation.
The majority opinion, written by
Chairman Hail. said:
"In our opinion the situation does not
permit of temporizing. All energies
must be devoted to bringing the war to
a successful conclusion, and to that end
lit is necessary that our transportation
systems be placed and kept on the plane
of highest efficiency. This can only be
secured through unification of their OPP
Grafton during the period of the war.
''If the uniication is to be effected by
the carriers they should be enabled to eff
feet it in a lawful way. TO that end, in
our Judgment, the operation of the anti
trust laws, except in respect of CONSOLE
dations or mergers of parallel and com
peting lines as applied to rail and water
carriers subject to the act to regulate
commerce, and of the anti-pooling pro-
vision of section Of that act, should be
suspended during the period of the war
and until further action by the Con
gress
SIN addition they should be provided
from the government treasury with
financial assistance in the form of loans
or advances for capital purposes in such
amounts, on such conditions and under
such supervision OF expenditure as may
be determined by appropriate authority.
CAS- necessary concomitant the regu-
lation of security issues of common car
riers engaged in interstate commerce
should be vested in some appropriate
body, as has been recommended in our
annual reports.
"If the other alternative be adopted
and the president operates the railroads
as unit during the period of the war,
there should be, in our opinion, suitable |
guaranty to each carrier of an adequate |
return for the use of the property, as
well as of its upkeep and maintenance |
during operation, with provision for fair |
terms on which improvements and bet
terments made by the president during |
the period of his operation could be paid |
for by the carrier upon return to it of |
the property after expiration of that pc
rod
Immediately following the submission
of the report resolution authorizing |
the interstate commerce commission to
take over all roads and coal mines in the
United States and to manage and oper-
ate them in the name of the government
for the duration of the war was intro
duced in the House by Representative
SABBATH of Illinois.