CHART 15 GROWTH OF RAILROAD TONS, TON-MILES, FREIGHT REVENUES, Mr. CHILDE. Last September, the Secretary of Commerce and other members of the President's Advisory Committee expressed the view that the Interstate Commerce Commission is unduly restrictive in allowing the various modes of transportation to compete with one another and as a means of encouraging what they have termed "dynamic" competition, they propose that the Interstate Commerce Commission be deprived of the power to prevent the establishment of whatever rates the carriers please, within the limitation of maximumreasonable and minimum-reasonable rates. They emphasize, however, that they wish to have retained the present provisions of the law against undue discrimination and they make it clear that they are opposed to any and all forms of discrimination. They believe that their proposals would bring about rates for each mode of transportation that would be as low, costs considered, as possible and thus give the public the best possible service at the lowest rates. The railroads in supporting these proposals have told you that they would be satisfied with the rule of rate making that would forbid the Interstate Commerce Commission in finding reasonable rates to consider the effect of such rates on other modes of transportation, or the relation of such rates to other modes, or whether they are lower than or necessary to meet the competition of other carriers. The other carriers in opposing these proposals tell you that that would result in ruinous competition between the railroads and other kinds of carriers, and ruinous discrimination between shippers. And, so it seems to me that the controversy boils down to three questions: (1) Are the railroads unduly restricted by the Interstate |