The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-01-09
Cuyler Gives Program
 For Private Ownership
tcontinued from Page one.j

He declared that wherever plan or policy should be adopted, provision should be made for adequate service for the country's needs, for necessary construction with prevention of waste by injudiefeus road building, for con- solicitations when dictated by public in- terest and flor a rate structure, which will provide sufficient revenues and create sufficient credit to accomplish these purposes
 To this end; said MT: Cuyler, "pri- vate ownership; mana cement and op- eration of the American railways should, as a matter of national policy, be continued:'
 ''The power Of regulation of the instru1nentalities of interstate com merce; as to all things substantially efectIng them, including all rates, state and interstate. should be exc1u- sivefy In the hands of the national gov ernnent; State commissions should hot be i1lterfere1 with by the Federal act except so far as necessary to carry out the purposes herein mentioned. ''Tvhe Interstate Commerce Com mission should act as a quasi-judicial body clothed with authority te pass upon all questions cof4cerning the req condolences and adequacy of rates and 1 concerning dIscriulInations
 No new CT branch lines of rall- road or large and expensive termi- nals should be constructed unless a certificate of public convenience and | necessity is first obtained from the secretary uf transportation. The executive and administrative func- tions of the Interstate Commerce Commission except to accounting and as to federal valuation of railroad properties, should be transferred to the secretary of transportation
 "The carriers should have the | power to initiate rates, schedules of which should be filed with the Inter state Commerce Commission with the secretary of transportation and with | the state commissions in which the rates are applicable"
 The secretary of transportation might approve the rates, let them go into effect without approval or sus- pend them and reSer them to the In ! terstate Commercse Commission for 1 determination. The commission
 might also hear complaints by ship pers or others, and have authority to prescribe minimum as well as maxi mum rates.
 1 MT. Cuyler's statement specified ! that ''the statute itself should pro- i vide the rule of rate-making, and l should require that rates should be not only which has been called req
 sonable, but adequate and sufficient to enable the carriers to provide safe,
 adequate an sufficient service, to | protect existing investment and to at tract the new capital necessary in l the public interest"
 1 It was declared further that "the statute should provide that existing ] rates, put into effect by the director 1 general of railroads, should be con- ] tnued in effect until changed by the Interstate Commerce Commission ss l provided by law" or through tnitia-
 t1on of new rates by roads Express
 rates should be dealt with in the
 same manner as freight rates. Regional federal rate tribunals, | said Mir. Cuyler, might be created in
 this manner: The Interstate Com
 merce Commission should divide tho 1 united States into 8 number Of re- | gions for each of which the President
 should appoint regional commits
 slon, which should be board of pri-
 mary Jurisdiction, consisting of one 1 member for each state in the region i The regional commiss.ons should
 have authority to determine all com piaints and to report to the Inter- state Commerce Commission. If no 1 objection is made to the Interstate l
 itcd time and the commission does
 not overrule the lower tribunal the
 orders and findings of the regional
 com missions should automa icalIy go | into effect.
 1 The railroad executives plan pro-
 vides for Federal incorporation of interstate carriers, for government supervision of security issues, and
 Tor funding by the government of
 ,ailrcad indebtedness growing out of
 Federal control during the war. Bread supervisory powers should be
 granted the secretary of transporta- i tion, said MT. Cuyler. These would
 include authority to require re-rout-
 Ing Of traffic to prevent or eliminate
 congestion, to require common use
 or terminals, to compel complete uni
 hcaton in war times or other periods
 or national emergency to require
 roada to distribute cars among pa
 irons fairly and to other roads to
 provide for proper movepent of traf- ] nc. Mergers or consultations in-
 ter company agreements on rates or
 practices, pooling of facilities, and
 pooling of earnings in connection
 with elimination of unnecessary train
 service, should be subject to his ap-
 proYA1, according to the railroad
 plan. The Interstate Commerce.
 Commission would receive appeals in
 case Of disagreement between a road
 ana the secretary of transportation,
 AmsEgH RAF