The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-07-31
The Greater Problem.
tBOston Herald.

! The president of the chamber of COM
| merce, Frederick S. SNYDER. considers
| the railway strike thing OF relatively
! minor Importance compared with another
| railroad problem which is now before the
| public This other problem. mot So
spectacular" involves the prosperity OF
| New England Cor generations Its So
| luton by any method which shall reduce
| transp ortatlon efficiency or increase the
| cost OF moving raw materials from their
| many points of origin to the shops and
factories of New ENGLAND, or the cost
| Of moving our finished products to points
OF consumption outside New England .
would prove a serious peril to our bust
ness development.
This is the point to which The Herald
has referred many times and at length
on this page Mr. Snvder's article in
Current Affairs deals with the task
imposed upon the interstate commerce
commission by the transportation act
tor the unificatiom of our railways into
limited number of systems in the in
terest of efficiency and economy. Mr..
Snyder discusses briefly the alternatives
as to the New England roads, between
which apparently a choice must be made
control OF our roads outside of New
England or contT0! within New England
our manufacturing efficiency must be
maintained, for the sake not only of New
England, but of the entire country. Mr.
hcially argued that anything which
harmed New England business would
harm the trunk line income uDon that
business" but that this may be more
apparent than real Outside owners
wishing to make the purchase advau-
lageous t. the buyers would 'oE course
do everything in their power to secure
an increase in direct or Indirect revenue
from the new holdings Thus New
England would be likely to lose its OPP
portunlty to use the competitive service
of the Canadian roads, and if the bust
ness now going to them were transferred
10 the trunk lines and at higher rates
there is no promise that the service it,
self would improve" But under any
plan these roads must be refnanced and
their foundation for credit must be re-
stored
The president of the chamber holds
II to be highly important that the New
England commissions now appointed by
the respective governors of these six
states shall 'fnd a common ground
upon which to stand in tho opinions
which they shall present to the | C. G.
4 united Judgment and TINS a united
front viii he great advantage In one
respect Mr.. SNYDER tmiseoncpives the
views of Mr.. Oldham as to outside con
troll Of the roads At one time Mr.. Old.
nam did advocate that "the trunk lines
secure Joint ownership and control over
? unified New England system bv organ
ling holding company to take over
the stocks of the unified New ENGLAND
roads and exchanging this stock for |
stock in the trunk lines" But Mr.. Old
ham has modified his views somewhat |
He was in favor of joint owperShin by |
four great svStemS wnst of tho Hudson |
But he said last April that the practi- |
cal difficulties Of establishing SO compre-
hensive an ownership at once arc such
as to make it virtually imnossible." He |
now would have the New York Central /
End the Delaware & Hudson take over /
the Boston & Maine. and tho PennsvI- |
the Lackawanna take over the New /
Haven.
However, for the present purpose. this |
Is matter of minor Importance Tho I
vital roint Is admirably stated by Mr. I