The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-08-06
NEW ENGLAND RAILROADS.
Something Must be Done Existing Ar
rangement Unfair.


Failure of the interstate commerce
commission to order larger ALLEGATION
of freight revenue to the New England
railroads is disappointing. Reasons as
signed for not acting are not satisfactory.
The portent of the commissions finding
seems to be that if the roads wish yolun-
tarily to come to the relief of the New
England lines. well and good, but the
commission will not order it. The New
England claims are not diSpFoved or
found unfair but the board does not find
cause TO act. Yet there is no reason WHY
il is not the clear province of the board
to step in and order a fair distribution
! of proceeds when the existing arrange
ment is obviously unfair the legislation
covering the activities of the board pro-
Vides that just that shall be its business.
! On the one hand the roads from which
the New England roads feel they are
entitled to take something are roads be-
| ing operated at a good profit on the
other are the New England roads being
run at deficit largely because of, not
| poor management, but greater service to
/ shippers through terminal service and
advantages.
| The Hartford Courant forcibly CON
trasts the conditions of what may be
termed the two sets of railroads, as fol-
lows:
The Erie, which in the first half of
! 1920 had a deficit of $S,S79.000, had in
| the first half of 1921 a net profit of S303-
27S The Illinois Central. which showed
a profit of $4,432, 900 in the first half of
| 1920, had profits of S9.22S, 900, or more
than double, for 1921. The Pennsylvania
system. which showed a deficit of S42,
: sos 900. has this year a profit of S6,91S,-
600 The Baltimore & Ohio, which had
a profit of S3S4,000 in 1920, has $500
600 in 1921.
I And yet the Boston & Maine, which
had a deficit of S5,999,000 for the first
half of 1920. had another of S4,736000
| for this year, and the New Haven, which
had a deficit of $4,J22. 900 for the first
half of 1920. shows a deficit of 81, 10000
for that part of 1921"
Failure of the commission to give re
, lief in the face of these conditions indi-
Gates more strongly than ever the desira-
| bility-nay, the necessity-of cOnsOlida-
ton of New England industrial and
! transportation interests into a unit, not
of ownership or of management-but for
presenting a solid front for New England
upon Just such problems as the one at
stake. Upon the need for this no one has
! been more outspoken than Vice President
| Coolidge, and ii is time to act upon his
coed advice Economic rivalry between
different sections of the country Will
grow rather than diminish in the next
I generation ana New England ndhulcdp,
as a manufacturing center. Is so great
/ because of her distance from the sources
of raw materials that she will need
united action and determined action if
she is to retain the strong position she
now holds. Failure TO get together means
lapse back to the agricultural stage,
supplemented by a few Industries which
have assets in water power which en-
able them to meet the competition. 1t
means the removal of mills and factories
/ to the West and the South.
Surely upon a matter of freight reve-
| nue. ALLEGATION, in which New England
has so just a claim that the other lines
involved have made compromise offer
Iof $4,000. 600 annually, New England
should be able to obtain justice. Ii it
cannot. what hope is there in the greater
strife to come New London Day.