The sun., 1919-10-14
GRAND TRUNK PLAN
PLEASES ONTARIO
Government Ownership of
Railroads in Line With
Local Enterprises.
Special Correspondence to the Cdnddtd'
Section of THE SUN.

Section Of THE SUN.
TORONTO, Oct. 13.-Ontario is espe-
cially interested In the plan announced
from Ottawa at the end of the week for
the government ownership Of the Grand
Trunk Railway. The addition Of this
system of 5,755 miles in Canada and 6S1
miles in the United States to the Cana
diam National Railway system Is
matter of the greatest moment practi-
cally, as wei as in its further trial OF
the principle OF public ownership Of
railways 1t is well known that this
form OF naturalization has strong enc
mics as we'll as friends in Canada,
where the Canadian Pacific has reached
pinnacle under private ownership as
one of the worlds largest, as well as
most efficient, corporations.
1t Is commonly believed that the in
fiuence of the Canadian Pacific has
been exerted upon the Government
against the taking over of the Grand
Trunk, but in the end the Government
Is said to have warned the c. r. X.
lobbyists to cease their pressure.
Ontario Is the keener advocate of
public ownership because of the great
venture of the province itself cooperating
With scores of municipalities in the con-
'ruction and operation of the hydro
electric power system, under the chair
manshIp OF Sir Adam Beck. This sys-
tenn came into beng after period OF
corporation tyranny by few capitalists
who belonged to the public be damned
period of industrial development In this
country. The ground was, therefore,
we'll prepared for public ownership, and,
though the hydro Is criticised in some
details it has unquestionably done a
great work In bringing power to the
remote communities and In reducing
power and lighting charges throughout
the greater part of old Ontario.
Point to Constant Deficits.
With this success In mind. the people
| of Ontario have been agitating and pre-
! pairing for the acquisition of the Grand
| Trunk by the Federal Government.
| Public ownership OF railways In Canada
UP to- now has meant ownership OF
colonization railways to very great
extent. and with that there have been
constant deficits, which fact has been
/ used by corporation champions to de-
| nounce public ownership as a failure.
The Intercolonial Railway, which was
fruit of the pact for confederation
and was built to give connection be-
tween Canada and the Maritime Prov
inces over British soil. is the pioneer
Government railway In this country,
any any statement Of its financial con-
| dition must be coupled with the peculiar
service the railway renders In penetrat-
| ing hundreds OF miles of almost unoc-
cupied territory for the purpose OF
Joining UP distant sections of the Do
| minion,
Then came the Canadian Northern,
which was left on the nations doorstep
after its promoters had built II and
failed utterly TO make It pay. The
| Dominion had to take II over rather
| than see II go into bankruptcy and
| cause disastrous injury to national
credit. After that came the Grand
| Trunk Pacific in the early part Of the
present year, which. after period OF
deficits, was also taken over by the
Government
II has been contended in Ontario that
| those who opposed taking over the
| Grand Trunk or parent road were un-
reasonable because, after being saddled
with the non-paying roads. the country
| should not be deprived of chance TO
secure a great system which had a
! chance of paying its way or making a
profit. Hence the acquisition of the
great pioneer railway of the Dominion
which dates almost back to the first
line In Canada built from Montreal to
the Richeleu River in the thirties Of
the last century.
Grand Trunk n Vast System.
| The Grand Trunk was the first great
transportation system In the opening OF
Central Canada and early In it's history
its line was built from Portland, Me-, to
| Chicago, crossing the southern part OF
Ontario. In the sos the system was
greatly extended by wholesale amalga-
nation with a number of other small
railways In Ontario. the whole being
the fruit in, large part of a generous sys-
tenn OF bonuses from municipalities
through which the lines were projected
at time when almost anything would
be given for the construction of rail-
way.
The new addition to the Government
! lines will make a system OF 21.eSs miles
or 20,632 miles excluding sidings which
ia about half the total railway mileage
OF Canada and more than all the other
systems in the country combined. The
plan by which a committee OF manage
ment viii conduct the railway. composed
Of two men appointed by the Govern
ment, two by the Grand Trunk and a
fifth by the. four others, is a compromise
on absolute Government management
and will probably also avoid any compli-
cation which might arise from the ex-
tensions through the American territory
being owned and operated by foreign