Part VII-Additional specific matters-Continued Chapter 7. Urban transportation-Continued 9. Conclusions and recommendations____ Appendix A. Analysis of an auto-dominant transportation sys- Appendix B. Statements describing the difficulties caused by the existence of several agencies with transportation responsibili- Appendix C. Statements on the necessity of a single agency plan- ning transportation for the entire metropolitan area__ Appendix D. Statements describing how and why metro planning must be a continuous process-- Appendix E. Commuter traffic and revenues of the principal rail- Appendix F. Reported suburban service passenger deficit. Appendix H. New York State's railroad tax relief program_. Appendix I. Resource materials other than books and periodicals 2. Congressional interest in subject__-- 3. Development of size and weight formulas___. 4. Effect of vehicular size and weight on highway costs--- 5. Coordination of motor carriers and other transport media.. (2) Authorized carrier required to upgrade 4. Comment on the significance of the adequacy of service power_ (a) Legal authority under section 404 (a) and due process_ (b) Variable circumstances controlling rather than pre- Mr. MAGNUSON, from the Committee on Commerce, submitted the following REPORT BEING THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT OF A REPORT PREPARED FOR THE COMMITTEE BY ITS SPECIAL STUDY GROUP, PURSUANT TO SENATE RESOLUTIONS 29, 151, AND 244 OF THE 86TH CONGRESS XXI SUMMARY OF NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION POLICY REPORT (Pursuant to S. Res. 29 and S. Res. 244, 86th Cong.) January 1961 PART I-INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1. THE STUDY CONCEPT This chapter is devoted to generalizations_which are more or less self-evident and which set the tone of the whole report. Among these concepts, we find the following: We are unique among major nations in that we have avoided nationalization in any form. Our policy has been and should continue to be one of reliance on private ownership so long as that ownership fills our transportation needs. Our overall system is not, at the moment, in acute financial distress, but there are strong indications of trouble ahead in the not too distant future. In the presence of excess overall capacity, competitive pricing must be related to cost if we are to avoid destructive price wars during the slow process of readjusting capacity to changing requirements. All evidence points to the national necessity of preserving common carriage as the only means of providing the general transportation service needed by all. In the public interest we challenge the merits of bargain rates which result in inadequate return on investment. The power component of transportation is recognized and compared with the more familiar service component. CHAPTER 2. THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION POLICY This chapter points out that the present program of regulation does not provide complete equity of treatment of the several modes and certainly includes inconsistencies and contradictions. In fact, even if these deficiencies were done away with, the present policy would be inadequate. There is too great emphasis placed today upon the protection of the business stability of individual carriers of a mode rather than upon the carrier industries or modes themselves. |