The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-04-30
RATE BOOST NOT
FAlInnrn TIT
Vermont ssate Library lHf
sasaas1s4 III I'LL
STATES LEADERS
New England's Governors OPP
pose Plan Of Railroad Owners
WOULD INJURE BUSINESS
Say The Federal Government
Should Pay Linez-Anpeal
To President
WOULD lNJURE BUSINESS

Boston, April 30.The proposal OF
the New England railroad heads TO
increase freight and passenger rates
Immediately by 10 percent to relieve
their financial plight was disapproved
by the Joint committee appointed by
the governors Of the New
England states. The report 10
the governors, signed by each
of the 80 members OF the composite
committee was made pubic today. 1t
said that the railroad executives had
failed to show that the desired ad-
vance would remedy the situation, or
that by such an increase New Eng
land interests would not suffer.
''The traffic managers Of the rail-
road think that New England bust
ness can stand this temporary adj
vance, and the shippers are quite
positive that New Eng and cannot
While we cannot finally conclude
which may be right. we are strongly
Of the opin on that the chances OF an
unfortunate result are such that we
cannot in Difference to what we be-
Iieve to be the general good of this
community recommend that any such
risk be taken.
We are by no means clear as to
the way in which the proposed In
crease is to be worked out. AS 1t Is
not a fiat increase of ten per cent, 1t
will in some instances amount to
much more. even to twenty per cent.
How these various adjustments
would satisfy the d dfferent kinds OF
business we have no means of deter
mining The possibilities of this situ
alton are such that an increase
should not be recommended unless Il
is known exactly how it is to be ap-
Piled
As constructive recommendations
the committee said:
THE Federal Government should
be asked to gye assistance to the rail-
roads in their extremities not as an
act of paternalism but as an act OF
justice, The Obligation Of the govern
ment to return the railroads in the
same condition in which they took
them over has not been fulfilled. The
per cd OF federal guarantee should be,
extended, retroactive from Septem-
her /. 1920, and arrangements
should he made at once for the pay
ment Of the amounts ella med by the
railroads to be due them from the gov
ernment leaving exart determination
to be made afterwards We recon-
mend that a memorial be adressed to
the president of the United States
pointing out to him the present condi-
tons of the railroads in New England
and ask ne him to take prompt meas
ures to fulfil the obi cations OF the
government
2-We are convinced that the pre-
vailing wage scale and the terms or
the so-called national agreements
have been large factor leading to
the present financial condition OF the
railroads. We believe that congress
should consider whether the present
method of settling labor disputes is
ht'rely adequate and II not, in what
respect it may be remedied or alter
ed
Ave have not undertaken to
make an analysis Of the efficiency OK
the management of the New England
railroads. In the interests of tne
railroads themselves we believe that
the interstate commerce commission
might well avail itse'f OF is authori'
ty and make W thout DELAY such IN
as may be desirable tow
ard a permanent solution OF the rail-
road difficulties
To carry out the foregoing recon-
we suggest that this
committee he suthor2 2ed to present
these considerations to the president
of the United States the railroad Ia
Dor board, aud the interstate com
merce commission and to take such
further action as may be necessary.