Relation of the Federal Government to Railroads . 81 
part devoted to the subject of railroads, embracing matters per¬ 
taining to construction, equipment, operation and repair. It 
expressly declares 15 that the government shall strive to intro¬ 
duce a uniform system of regulations for the operation of all 
German railroads, and a uniform system of rates; that it shall 
strive to secure the greatest possible reduction of rates, espe¬ 
cially for long hauls of articles supplying the wants of agri¬ 
culture and of industry, such as coal, coke, wood, ore, stone, 
salt, pig-iron, fertilizers, etc. In times of distress and famine 
the emperor, on recommendation of the railroad committee of 
the Bundesrath 16 may temporarily fix rates for the transporta¬ 
tion of the necessaries of life, provided that such reduction shall 
not reduce rates below those charged on the respective railroads 
for the transportation of raw material. 17 The constitutional pro¬ 
visions have, of course, been supplemented by ministerial 
rescripts, royal orders and statutes. But these few sentences 
sufficiently reflect the relation of the federal government to the 
railroads of the empire. How this principle of responsibility 
and control is carried out by the state governments we shall 
now consider in the case of Prussia. 
III. 
The great variety and number of shipments and passenger 
transfers involved in the railroad business makes it impractica¬ 
ble, if not impossible, for each undertaker to make a special 
contract with each individual applying for railroad service. 
But even if this were possible, in view of the nature of trans¬ 
portation and the many public and private interests involved, 
it might become exceedingly prejudicial to these interests to 
leave the adjustment of rates entirely in the hands of the under¬ 
taker, without definite legal responsibilities to the public. 
Unfortunately, a considerable number of people still look upon 
a railroad as a business essentially similar to any other busi- 
15 Article 45. 
1S By Article VIII. 5 the Bundesrath appoints from its numbers a per¬ 
manent committee on railroads, post and telegraph. 
17 The Emperor has not yet exercised this power. 
6 
