The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-04-29
By HARRY l.. WARD, International News Service

Washington, April 29 The first step Tn carrying out the plan for con soIidatins the railroads of the United States into :l limited number of sys- tems, provided for ty the Trans Tscrtation Act, was taken today by the Interstate Commerce Commission.
 The commission began a series of of hearings that are expected to have q far-reaching effect upon the rail road properties of the country A vast amount of data bearing railroad own ership, operation, etc, will be pre- sented during these hearings, which are expected to extend over a period year before the Commission makes it's report to Congress on the subject.
 The hearing which began to-day will be confined to the railway prop critics in what Is known as the south eastern region of the United States The roads in various other regions will be considered later, the Com mission announced at the opening session to-day.
 Under the authority of the Trans portation act the Commission pre- pared a tentative plan for the pro posed consolidation and commits stoned Prof. William z. Ripley, Of Harvard University, to prepare a re- port on the subject. In some re- spects the Commissions tentative pan does not follow Ripley's recom- suggestions.
 Classification of Roads
 The roads included in the Com missions tentative plan of conso1fda- tion comprise most of the class one steam railroads. but a few of those in classes two and three Those not so included whether industrial common carriers, terminal carriers, tnterur part of the general steam railroad part of he general steam railroad system, "short lines" or others will be considered at the hearings, so that in the plan ultimately to be adopted provision can be made for their inclusion in the various sys- telns- Carriers by water were not specifically mentioned in the Com missions tentative plan. but it was announced that where these carriers are now controlled by rail carriers they will be considered as being in cluded tentatively in the systems in which the controlling rail carriers has been included.
 Summarized. the requirements with which the Commission must comply in comparing the consolida- tion plan:
 l. Competition must be preserved as fully as possible.
 ?. Existing routes and channels of trade and commerce must be main tained.
 3. Subject to l and 2, the sev- eral systems must be so arranged that the cost of transportation as between competitive syStems and as re1ated to the values of the proper d>s through which the service is rendered Snail De the S<lIne, so Tar as practicable, so that these systems can employ unifrom rates in the movement of competitive traffic and under efficient management earn substantially the same rate of return upon the value of their respective railway properties.
 Property Value Stressed
 The commission points out that in the law calling for the consoli6 , ion of the railroads into systems stress is laid upon the value of the proper ties to be consolidated, but that value will not be controlling factor until application is made for the con solidation of two or more railway properties after the coGnplste plan shall have been adopted.
 Ut would seeE." said the Com mission. that evidence as to val-Ia will not be helpful. if indeed ma terial, at the present stage of the in quiry and certainly not evidence as oo the financial structure of the re- spective carriers. This has particu- lar reference to the contention that the credit of the so-calied strong