Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-07-23
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

Ts,ore is heard In the land these days
q great deal Of discussion OF the ex-
tent TO which the Government Is reg
ulating business The new Industrial
codes, the appointment Of virtual die
tators over railroads and other I'M
portant branches Of business. have
prompted something almost approach
ing revolt But there IS nothing very
new about the system. In fact. the idea
Of business regulation was bred In the
bone Of the American colonists who
formed this country because they were
Englishmen living, for the most part,
under English laws.
One Of the most interesting fore
runners of the laws of the United
States regulating rates Of Transports
ton is found in an early English stat
ute which provides that when the
average price of oats shall exceed Is
shillings per quarter, the commissioners
may cause an addition to be made to
the fares" Today, in the United States.
railroad rates have a primary base in
the cost of the property employed as
determined under the La Toilette physi-
cal valuation OF railroads act.
During the World War, there was In
troduced the theory Of fixing wages in
accordance with the cost of living, and
this system has continued to be used in
wage arbitrations. It will be increas-
ingly used in the application of the
codes established by the National In
dustrial Recovery Administration. The
theory Is precisely the same as the
ancient hackney coach regulation which
adjusted fares to be paid by passen-
gers in accordance with the price Of
oats.
As early as 1851 q statute of the
British Parliament was enacted to regu-
late transportation charges. 1t provided
that whereas diverse waggoners and
other carriers, by combination among
themselves, have raised the prices of
carriage of goods in many places to
excessive rates. to the great injury OF
trade, the commissioners shall have
the power and authority and are here
by enjoined to assess and rate the
prices of all land carriage Of goods"
Penalties were provided for violation
Of the fixed rates. and there was also
provision for the posting OF tariffs IN
public places, precisely as now prov1d-
ing for American railroads by the act
to regulate commerce.
Problems Have Not Changed.
It was some two centuries after this
English law that excessive Transports
llUl CIldTkcS IcSulVcO III lIlc CIC0tA0A Va
the Interstate Commerce Commission
to regulate rates. Before that the car
riers were free to charge what they
liked, give rebates to favored customers
and In every way conduct their affairs
with no interference from the hand Of
Government. However, aware Of what
England had found it necessary to do
with wagons before even the steam en-
CINE was invented, the trainers OF the
Constitution had clothed Congress with
power to regulate commerce.
With highway construction one Of
the important items in the new public
works program, highway officials are
giving special attention to the regula-
ton Of highway use They find In this
field also an early English model. An
English law provided that ito every
wagon with wheels Of less breadth than
inches the weight to be carried
shall not be greater than 81 tons" A
rising scale Of weights was provided for
broader-tired vehicles. 1t ran all the