Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-03-15
THE RETURN OF
Maine RAILROADS
TO PR|VATE CONTROL

| The Public Utilities Commission
| has through its chairman. benjamin
| F.. Cleaves, sent out a communlca-
ton to various heads of industries
and large shippers throughout the
! State calling their attention to the
| fact that the railroads of the coun-
try came back to private control on
! March l. 1920. and such control is to
be exercised under the new rallroao
act passed by Congress.
! The Interstate Commerce Com
mission has a very large measure OF
control and. while the State has
| practically the same authority which
! it had prior to the period of federal
control, the State commission neces-
sarily confines its activities to purely
( State matters and has no authority
whatever over Interstate matters,
says the communication.
Under the new railroad law, the
Inter- state Commerce Commission is
planning to divide the entire coun-
try into regions or districts and to
work out and apply rate schedules
properly applicable within, to and
from those regions.
A hearing is to be held at Washing
ton beginning March % with refer
ence to some of the matters involved
, in this districting scheme and the
new rates TO be set up and applied.
We do not perhaps need to call
your attention to the fact that the
needs of the several railroads OF New
England and this arrangement of dis
tricting. and the rates made neces-
sary by the carrying out of this ar
| rangement, will have an important
bearing upon New England as a
whole and upon Maine AS one of the
units within the New England dis
trict.
The commission for some time has
felt that there should be in the State
of Maine some person thoroughly ia
snilar with all traffic and transporta-
ton matters and with market condi
tions inter-related thereto who would
stand in the position of an expert adj
wiser to all Maine business interests
and to this commission.
Il think we all realize that there
exists an industrial struggle between
New England as a unit and other
parts of the country. The hardshipS
and the dangers to New England and
to the State of Maine will not be les
sened under the new procedure.
Maine needs TO be alert and to be in
position to avail! itself of every
legitimate advantage and of all ea-
pert advice and assistance.
Other New England states. no
tably Massa chusetts. have traffic and
commerce experts available for the
assistance of the manufacturers and
business men. The Boston Chamber
of Commerce has the constant serv-
ice of one of the best traffic and
commerce experts in the country.
While il is true that in way this
particular expert will be looking after
the interests of the whole of New
England. it is. but natural that he
should serve Massachusetts first.
While we have in various parts of
Maine. boards of trade and chambers
of commerce. and while we have a
State organization of these boards.
we have no where regularly employed
and available for use an expert of
great capacity and large experience.
In Massachusetts there is an organi-
cation of the allied industries which
has frequent meetings lasting several
days and attended by the big men
from each industry. This orga MIA
ton has up for discussion at each
meeting all of the problems which
are OF interest, including TRANSPORT
tation and commerce matters. This
Boston Chamber of Commerce expert
is available for the use Of this or
ganization.
Would it not be well for the bust
ness men of the State of Maine TO
organize some such society for the
benefit and protection Of the BUSH
ness interests Of Maine, and secure
the services Of a competent traffic
ana commerce expert. who will de-
vote all Of his time and energy to the
advancement and protection of the
business interests of the State OF
Maine? II the business interests NJ
Maine can SO unite. the amount of
the contribution which each such in
terest will have to make to SUPPORT
the services of such an expert would
be relatively small.
1T may be that in the beginning
tne State itself should secure the
services Of and arrange for the COM
pensation OF such an expert and with
this thought in mind the commission
is sending copy of this letter to
the governor OF the State
After a time the business interests
OF the State, it would seem. should
support this expert and his organiza-
ton.
The members Of this commission
oner their services to the attainment
or the above outlined end. The mem.