Re: (erielack) November/December 1961 T E-L L-A-GRAM

["Michael Connor" <mjconnor_rr_@_hotmail.com>]

You might also remember that Cleveland was the personal fiefdom at this time 
of Cuyahoga County Engineer Albert S. Porter who had an abiding hatred for 
anything on rails, much in the tradition of his Gothamite mentor, Robert 
Moses.  Porter is the man who overcame the voted will of the people and 
stopped the construction of Cleveland's Downtown Distributor subway.  Much 
of Cleveland's central business ditrict decay can be traced to this wicked 
man (later convicted of various malfeasence, IIRC).
>From: Blue Moon Network Administrator  <root_@_net.bluemoon.net>
>Reply-To: Blue Moon Network Administrator  <root_@_net.bluemoon.net>
>To: Erie Lackawanna Mail List <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
>Subject: (erielack) November/December 1961 T E-L L-A-GRAM
>Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 10:35:30 -0400 (EDT)
>
>
>Local Government at its best:
>
>
>AIR PASSENGERS travel "in the public interest" but those who ride the
>railroads do not, it must be interpreted from tax commission testimony in
>Ohio. When the county sought to reduce taxes on the Cleveland Union 
>Terminal,
>used by four railroads and two transit lines, the City of Cleveland opposed
>the cut because it would reduce municipal revenues. However, when an
>assessment was proposed for the city airport used by about the same number 
>of
>commercial airlines, the officials opposed any taxation because it exists 
>for
>"public purposes".
>
>
>and another ICC beaut:
>
>ANOTHER RATE UMBRELLA has been opened to deprive shippers of the benefits 
>of
>fast, low-cost transportation. Railroads have been prevented from reducing
>carload rates by six cents on 40,000-pound minimum shipments of electric 
>cable
>and wire between Worcester, Mass. and Houston, Tex. An ICC division ruled 
>the
>reductions posed a threat to "the continued existence of the coastwise 
>water
>carrier industry". Thus the railroads continue to be their brothers keeper.
>
>
>How could the government have willingly destroyed the railroads? How can we
>call the United States a free market economy when this kind of thing went 
>on
>for eight decades?
>
>The E-L company magazines are wonderful reading, but there are a lot of
>depressing facts and figures too.
>
>Henry
>
>J. Henry Priebe Jr.       Blue Moon President & Network Administrator
>root_@_bluemoon.net         www.bluemoon.net - Blue Moon Internet Corp
>V.90, X2 & K56flex        www.railfan.net  - The Railfan Network
>
>


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