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Show HOW CANADA HANDLES RAILROADS. RAIL-ROADS. The publicity recently accorded the affairs of several large railroads in the United States, as a result of the proceedings of the Interstate Commerce Com-merce Commission, has been the means of arousing considerable interest in-terest and diversified comment in all $ parts of Canada, and, as a natural consequence, con-sequence, Canadians, ever on the outlook out-look for improvements in all things, have compared their Dominion Rail7 way Act and the powers of their Railway Rail-way Commission with the Interstate Commerce Act and the powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission The result of the comparison is interesting, inter-esting, indeed. Canadian railroads are regulated by k . a board of three commissioners, who W arc appointed for life. The chairman of the board receives an annual salary of ten thousand dollars, and associate members eight thousand dollars. This board is authorized to employ the services ser-vices of experienced railroad men as experts in the different branches of railroad work. The commission Is endowed with powers that would make a citizen of the United States, accumtomed to the weak and ineffectual ineffect-ual (efforts of the Interstate Commerce Com-merce Commission, gasp with aston-ft' aston-ft' ishment. Whenever railway regulations, considered con-sidered necessary for the public good in Canada, is adopted, there is no cry of "confiscation" on the part of the railway companies; no much-mooted abstract questions as to the constitutionality constitu-tionality of the act arc raised, ind no rrotractcd and expensive legislation legisla-tion ensues. The authority of the board's members is plenary within its 't jurisdiction, and its decisions and or ders may be made rules of any Superior Sup-erior Court. There is no appeal from , their decision, unless the board itself grants an appeal, except on questions of jurisdiction, or to the Governor-in-Council. With the Railroads' Approval. It is to be noted in this connection that when the statute authorizing this board of commissioners and defining de-fining their immense powers in railroad rail-road regulation was enacted, it was with the approval and co-operation of most of the Canadian roads. This statement will be pregnant with interest inter-est to a citizen of the States who is familiar with the railroad situation in his own country. It is nevertheless true in every particular. The Canadian's Can-adian's characteristic respect for the law is primarily responsible for this most satisfactory result. All classes ' seem to agree in the sentiment: "It is the law; it roust be obeyed." The railroads realize at once that such action on the part of the Dominion Domin-ion Government could not fail to operate op-erate to the mutual benefit of the Canadian people and, in the end, to their own benefit. Mk, In one step Canada has accomp lished what the United States has not been able to do in years of effort. The powers of the Railway Commis- sion under the Railway Act are in finitely greater and more clearly defined de-fined than those of the Interstate Commerce Commission under the Interstate In-terstate Commerce Act, and, in comparison, com-parison, the latter seems ridiculously weak and ineffectual. The power of the Railway Commission within its jurisdiction over the railways in Canada Can-ada is absolute, and its duties and powers arc" set forth in the Railway Act. Such is not the case with the Interstate Commerce Commission. It might be well to mention a few ol the more important powers extended to the Railway Commission which the Interstate Commission does not seen: to possess: It possessess jurisdiction over tele-grap tele-grap or telephone lines operated by railway companies, and all matters pertaining thereto. It can order the abolHon of grade crossings where it considers them too dangerous to the community to be permitted, and can order the railways to construct subways or overhead rcrossings, or the installation of safety safe-ty appliances at level crossings. It has the power to regulate the running and operation of trains, and can order changes in schedules or operation of additional trains to give better service for the accommodation of business. Railway companies must report to the board all cases of fatal or serious injury. All agreements for the sale, lease or amalgamation of railways must be approved by the board. The board may order allotment or distribution of cars, where there may be question of discrimination. Railway companies must submit to the board plans of all branch lines, spurs, sidings, or railways of any description de-scription whatever, and the approval of the board must be secured before the work can be commenced. This applies, also, to all works, bridges, etc., which the railways may desire to construct. The board may order the construction construc-tion of bridges over navigable waters, wat-ers, and the regulations respecting the construction of such bridges are included in the Railway Act. The board may order the construction construc-tion of private sidings or spurs to any industries, if it deems it necessary. neces-sary. The board may exercise jurisdiction over claims against railway companies; compan-ies; at the same time, it protects the railway from unjust claims. The board may detdrmine what lands the railway companies may take without owner's consent for right of way, etc., and its authority extends to expropriation proceedings of every description. No railway may cross or join anoth-railway anoth-railway without the consent of the board. The Railway Act defines the duties and powers of directors of railways. It can fix either maximum or absolute abso-lute rates. All freight tariffs have to be filed with, and receive the approval ol the Commission, which has the power to order changes in them. No toll can be charged which unjustly un-justly discriminates between different localities. No greater toll can be charges for a shorter than for a longer haul unless, un-less, in the judgment of the Commission Commis-sion special conditions make it necessary. neces-sary. Fi tight tariffs are governed ly a classification which must receive the approval of the board. This insures unifoimity of classification. The effect of this beneficent rate regulation on .the commercial development devel-opment of Canada cannot be overestimated. over-estimated. Consider for one moment what this protection means: i. Equal rates for all. A guarantee guaran-tee that one section of the country will not be exploited to the detriment of another region equally endowed with natural resources. 2. No secret rebates. An exemplification exemp-lification of the "live and let live" policy. The small producer is zealously zeal-ously protected and is afforded an equal chance on the same basis with a wealthy corporation. 3. Government regulation of train schedules. An absolute assurance to the shipper that he can fulfill his contracts. con-tracts. In Absolute Control. In short, it may be said that, the Board of Railway Commissioners has absolute control over all matters pertaining per-taining to the construction, operation and maintenance of railways, and, in comparison, the powers of the Interstate Inter-state Commerce Commission seem dwarfed almost to insignficancc. It may be said, also, that not only does the Dominion Railway Act, which gave to the Board of Railway Commissioners Com-missioners its life, protect the public, but it also protects railway companies. compan-ies. For instance, a town where one railway is already located may desire the entrance into the town of another railway and may wish to grant a location lo-cation to the entering road which might prove injurious to the first roa.d. In such a case, the first road may appeal to the Commission against this injustice, and the Board has the power to compel the second road to enter the town by another route. With the tremendous undeveloped natuial resources of Canada and the blessings incident to railway regulations regula-tions such as these, there can be found no better field for capital seeking seek-ing investment. Perhaps, the fairest indication of hearty co-operation with the Government by the railways, and likewise of a firm belief in Canada's pres'nt and future prosperity, is the tremendous amount of railway construction con-struction going on today. The Canadian Cana-dian Pacific Railway perhaps the most remarkable railway system in the world, not only because of its length, but because of its diversified interests and business enterprises is building many miles of new railway rail-way in the Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, opening up millions of acres of land for settlement. set-tlement. Although it is not generally known, it is, nevertheless, an established fact that r.o country in the world has so great a mileage per capita as Canada Cana-da now has. Then, add to this the fact that contracts have been let for hundreds of miles -of additional railway, rail-way, consisting in part of feeders which will suck up and bring to the main lines the crops from the newly devdloped wheat regions ind you will understand that government regulation reg-ulation is not necessarily a fatal drag on a nation's railway prosperity. The Big Canadian Crop. How enormous is the crop which the Canadian railways are working like beavers to handle may be real ized when it is said that more Ihan 'one last year the daily receipts of wheat at Winnipeg exceeded the corn-bin corn-bin ;d daily receipts at Duluth, Minneapolis Min-neapolis and Chicago. Next year the acreage under crop will be greatly great-ly increased, and so the total yield. Each year the golden stream of wheat flows wider and swifter and deeper down to the lakes, and, by the time the railways now under construction are completed, there will be need of more; for, with all of this wonderful progress, pro-gress, the development of the Canadian Cana-dian West has just begun. Is it any wonder, then, that thousand thous-and j of men arc being employed and millions of money being expended in the construction of new lines which will be needed to assist in the movement move-ment of the crop of 1908? Puvious to 1881, Manitoba and the Canadian West had never heard the whistle of a locomotive. Now, there arc over five thousand miles of track in operation through a region which in 1906, produced nearly near-ly one hundred million bushels ot wheal, and which shipped for export ex-port alone some eighty thousand ! head of cattle. ; The Canadian Pacific Railway was, of course, the real pioneer, throwing open to the world its last Great West, .carrying on its work of construction and development in the face of obstic-lcs obstic-lcs which, in any other country, would have, spelled failure for any enterprise; enter-prise; but this railway has won an j empire from a wilderness and has 1 turned defeat into a tremendous success. suc-cess. Today, in a desperate effort to meet the requirements of the region through which it runs, this railway is I building eight new branches. It has an order today, for delivery this sea- lj son, rolling stock equipment to the value of $11,808,751, and hopes to have j it all in service before this year's I crop begins to move. This year it ' will spend, in the West alone, in the neighborhood of twenty millions of 'I dollars in improvements and new works. The railway is indeed moving fast, but the incoming settlers are moving faster. It is self-evident truth that the de- ! velopmcnt and prosperity of any new ' country depends upon its transpor- tation facilities. One would naturally natural-ly suppose, therefore that the Canadian Canad-ian Government, fearful of discourg-ing discourg-ing railroad construction at a tirtie : when it was sorely needed, would have moved slowly in the matter of enacting a railway-regulation measure meas-ure which, in the United States, at least, would have been considered drastic. But the Government saw clearly that, while additional transportation trans-portation facilities were of vital importance, im-portance, yet, at the same time, efficient effi-cient railway regulation was an absolute ab-solute necessity to the development of the West, and, instead of resorting to d'latory tactics, it met the situa- 1 tion squarely, adopted such measures 1 as it deemed advisable; and, when the bill had gone into effect, the wisdom wis-dom of the course which it had taken at once became apparent to all. Saturday Evening Post. |
