RAILWAY ALLIANCES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 504, 11 May 1909, Page 5

RAILWAY ALLIANCES.

AN INQUIRY. ■ ■1 ; V , (nr TiLEOCArii—rurss . ; London, May 9. Mr. Winston Churchill, President 1 of the Board of Trade, is' appointing a Departmental committee to investigate the question of railway amalgamation, and to ! report what legislation is advisable. - "DRIVING THEM UNDERGROUND." .The Great. Northern, Great Eastern, and Great Central railway companies introduced into the House of .Commons a Bill to .give effect to their proposed. working arrangement. Much opposition was manifested, particularly by Labour .members, and recently the companies withdrew the Bill on the ground that Parliament had granted too many interests a locus standi before the committee that was set up to consider the measure.- But there remains'the probably greater danger that companies may do privately or. secretly what otherwise would Ue done, more or less openly under an Act of Parliament. ' This possibility is no-doubt in 1 the mind of the President of the Board of Trade in setting up the inquiry' for he e&phasised the point to a deputation that waited on him in March, in opposition to the Bill introduced by the companies. He warned them of the danger of driving railway agreements underground, with the .substitution of pooling agreements and private under-' standings. .He did not think-that they ought to set their faces .against the principle of amalgamation. . Tho question for the Board of Trade, Mr." Churchill added, was, to make, euro that the position of particular' districts was not unfairly or unduly prejudiced, that facilities enjoyed:by custom and,usage by particular districts, or particular classes of those who used the railway were not withdrawn, and that the profits and advantages'of any system of amalgamation should be oquitably shared between the shareholders and the ' general public whether traders, passengers, or operatives upon tho line. Upon those points the attention of tho Board of Trade had been earnestly .directed since the amalgamation had been in tlio public eye. It would bo entirely upon the degreo to which the promoters of such legislation were able to show that interests wero properly safeguarded that he should act. -Ho did not despair of. an advance beneficial to all' parties