New Britain herald., 1929-02-20
TWO ATTEMPTS AT MERGERS STARTED
Continued from First Page)


 1000 miles of line, and would rep resent a capital inventment of $2,- 50O,000.
 Further the commission was ask ed to secure for such a huge enter prise the right to buy a one-fourth interest in the Deleware and Hud . son. Lehigh and New England. Le- high and Hudson River. Montour Railroad, Pittsburgh, Charters and Youghiogheny. Charters Southern, Monongahela. Pittsburgh and Wes; Virginia lines east of the Ohio, and the west side belt of Pittsburgh.
 The systems named were all treat ed as bridge or terminal properties, and il was suggested that the New York Central. Pennsylvania. and Baltimore and Ohio would also &C., uuire quarter interest in the properties
 The Baltimore and Ohio request cd permission to purchase. among others, the Detroit, Toledo and Chi cago, Indianapolis and Louisville the Wabash. the Ann Arbor. and the Buffalo and Susquehanna rall' roads. It also asked permission for complete acquisition of the Western Maryland, the Reading, the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Le- high and Hudson river. ; AS to the Pittsburgh and West Virginia lines west of the Ohio, the Van Sweringen group was slated to take a third interest. in partnership with the New York Central and the Baltimore and Ohio. The Detroit and Toledo Shore tine was suggested for half and half division between the new merger and the Baltimore and Ohio.
 Would Take Short Lines
 Coupled with the specific listing of larger roads. was a dcclarato' that the Chesapeake and Ohio, Il allowed to proceed with so exten' sive a linking, would stand ready te acquire. if the commission thinks Il advisable. every short line railroad in the territory covered. excepting such short lines as might be as- signed to other systems,
 The commission vase also request ed to approve the acquisition by tht Baltimore and Ohio of a quarter in tcrest in four other railroads. The Lehigh and New England, the Mon tour railroad, the Pittsburgh ant West Virginia and half interest II the Detroit and Toledo Shore line railroads
 The petition said that with th' completion of the purchasing pro gram outlined the Baltimore an' Ohio would operate 13,S14 miles O trunk line railroad with capital iii' vestment of s2.19e,ooo,o0o.
 "The applicant believes it imprac, | ticable if not impossible 10 submit terms and conditions on which these properties would be acquired" the Van Sweringen petition said. "un. til the commission first deter. mines to what extent such ac. quisitions will in the public inter est and prescribes rules and regula tions under which the applicar may proceed to contract for thu acquisition.
 "If the commission will determin' to what extent the applicant ma, unify these properties into one sys tenn. the applicant believes it vii | tyo Eastern territory from the field O speculation. bring about the finan cial stabiliZation of those railroads and result in bringing into fruitiol the national policy of railroad con soIdation. The applicant believes ] can acquire. and will undertake |, acquire. to the extent indicated b, the commission, the properties i proposes to bring into a united sys tenn, and will submit from time t time, for approval of the commis sion, terms and conditions"
 Controversy Anticipated
 While the program outlined con templates the general recasting 0 the eastern rail map on the princi pal of creating four systems in tn country's northern quarter, it wa expected to signal a major contro versy among the railroad groups con cerned. The Baltimore and Chi has petitioned for grouping nc conflicting with the Van Sweringe plan, but the New York Central an Pennsylvania may advance more o