"The CHAIRMAN: Would you say that, on the whole, the power to make rates generally and primarily should be left to the railroads and to the free play of the forces of the business world? "Mr. ACWORTH: Speaking as an individual student, I have no doubt that that is the process that will arrive at the best results for the community, with this exception: That I fully think it is necessary that the community in some way should interfere to protect all customers from unfair treatment. "The CHAIRMAN: You think that the power should reside somewhere to correct excessive and extortionate rates by summary and proper proceedings? "Mr. ACWORTH: I am not sure that I should go so far as to say excessive rates regarded as excessive in themselves. I am myself inclined to think that excessive rates will correct themselves. The wise men will discover that it does not pay to charge excessive rates. But I think the law should interfere to prevent unfair rates to A as compared with the rates given to B. It seems to me that the State is bound to insist that the rates shall be public, and that practically will settle it, for if they are public they have got to be fair; I am inclined to think the law should confine itself to securing that, where there is a difference made as between A and B, the difference should be a difference for a commercial reason, and not for any reason of personal favoritism. "Senator FORAKER: And I understand you to say that the effect of fixing maximum rates is to lessen the tendency to reduce rates, which railroads had practiced before this legislation was enacted? "Mr. ACWORTH: I am not quite sure that the maxima have really had very much effect at all. It has been a tendency, but I do not think an important tendency. But the interpretation by the courts of the undue preference law, and the recent limitation that having once reduced you can not subsequently increase, have had that effect markedly, I believe. "Senator FORAKER: So that the rates for the transportation of freight on railroads in England have not been declining, I take it from your statement, in recent years, but have remained practically stationary? "Mr. ACWORTH: I do not know what the average rate is, because there are no statistics in England; but my own impression would be that it had probably not declined to an appreciable extent, whereas in an earlier period it certainly did decline pretty fast."