510 History of Inland Transport 



ment of an improved and more economical railway system 

 lie in the direction of more perfect understandings and co- 

 operation between the various railway companies which must 

 frequently, although not always, be secured by formal agree- 

 ments of varying scope and completeness, amounting in some 

 cases to working unions and amalgamations." But, although 

 they admit that mutual competition between railway com- 

 panies exists to-day in only a " limited degree," and although 

 they do not show that the agreements and amalgamations 

 thus far carried out have been in any way really detrimental 

 to the public interests, they are still influenced, as Parliaments, 

 Select Committees and Departmental Committees before 

 them have been for the last three-quarters of a century, by 

 that one word " might." Railway companies may be allowed 

 to co-operate more especially because they cannot be 

 prevented from doing so ; but fresh restrictions and } further 

 obligations must be imposed lest they might abuse the facilities 

 granted to them, in seeking to cover increased taxation and 

 other items of heavier working expenses. Thus among the 

 recommendations of the Departmental Committee are the 

 following : 



" That it should be provided that when a facility or service 

 is diminished or withdrawn, it should lie upon the railway 

 company to show that the reduction or withdrawal is 

 reasonable. 



" That it should lie upon the railway company to justify a 

 charge made for a service hitherto rendered gratuitously. 



" That it should be declared that the law with regard to 

 increased charges applies to passenger fares and other charges 

 made for the conveyance of traffic by passenger trains." 



These proposals are, no doubt, inspired by a genuine desire 

 to protect the public interests ; yet the effect of carrying 

 them out would be effectually to destroy the small amount 

 of elasticity that is still left in the relations between the 

 railway companies and the public. If, in addition to having 

 to " justify " the increase of any rate for goods or minerals, 

 the companies were required to run the risk of having to 

 " justify " the taking off of any train they found no longer neces- 

 sary, or even the slightest increase in any of the now often 

 extremely low railway fares, the result would be to tie their 

 hands still further in the making of experimental concessions, 



