Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-06-06
New EnsIand's Railway Crisis
fRoStnD Jeraldl

The business men and industrial
leaders OF New England are begin
ming to give serious attention to the
New England railway question. The
Associated Industries of Massachu-
sets, the chambers of commerce of
both Boston and the state, have
strong committees at work on the
problem. GOV. Cox some months ago
was in conference on the subject with
representatives of these and other
interests. He hopes that an all New
England committee may be organized
to consider all phases of the situation,
to hear all who have views to express,
and perhaps to formulate the opinion
of New England as to how our roads
may best be financed, controlled and
operated. Other New England Gov
crnors have this matter also under
consideration.
These are encouraging tokens. Our
railway problem is VITAL critical, i'm
mediate. We are face to face with
these alternatiVeS-Shallt the railroads
of New England pass beyond the con-
troll of New England and so into the
hands of the great trunk lines beyond
the Hudson river, or shall our roads
continue to be ours? Built by New
England money and gumption, shall
they stay in the hands of the people
who built them and whom they serve,
whose prosperity and welfare are de-
pendent upon the service they render
or shall these roads go into the hands
Of people whose first interest is out
side New England?
This issue is upon us, as we shall
realize in the near future when the
interstate commerce commission, in
fulflmcnt Of the duty imposed by
the transportation act, appears here
and asks us how VIC want them to
dispose of the New England lines
The commissioners are at work now
upon the task Of making plans for
the consolidation of the railways of
the nation into a limited number of
systems. Hearings are in progress
at the present time in Atlanta on
the proposed consultations for the
southern system. What shall we say
to them when they open hearings in
Boston?
The essential clements of the New
England railway problem are clearly
enough understood by the average
man of affairs in these states. They
ought to be understood by every New
Highlander. for every resident and
every taxpayer has 4 stake in the
decision that is to be made The
essentials have been stated with ad-
mirable simplicity by Prof William
z. Ripley, thus: New England is a
transportation pocket, an economic
unit on the outskirts of the central
commercial territory of the United
States. Its transportation problem
broadly viewed, is to foster its manu-
features in three ways; first, by pro-
vision for the cheapest possible in
bound carriage of raw materials. coal.
cotton, iron and steel; secondly, BY
insuring cheap transportation for
foodstutfs and other necessities of
common life from the remote centres
OF their production: and, thirdly, to
make certain that the freight rates
on its finished products, outbound,
shall keep them in the various mar
kets throughout the heart of the
United states. in the face of con-
stantly rising local competition there
abouts'
The prosperity of all New England
depends on the prosperity of the in
dustrics New England enterprise has
developed. The prosperity Of these
industries is dependent on our rail
ways for the reasons shown in an
earlier paragraph.