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Abstract
Railway freight rates began a sharp upward spiral in 1948 as the Board of Transport Commissioners of Canada approved a series of applications for increases made by Canada's railway companies. The increases undermined the 20-year-old system of regional subsidies, intended to offset the disadvantages faced by long-distance shippers outside Central Canada. The premiers of the outlying provinces united in protest, calling for a political solution to a structural economic problem. Ottawa appointed a royal commission to investigate transportation, but the commission proved ineffectual. The unity of the provinces was superficial, and Maritime leaders could not agree on a single, comprehensive plan. The commission recommended no substantial state intervention in Canada's transportation system and allowed market forces to accelerate the centralization of industry in Canada. Resumé Les tarifs de transport des marchandises par chemin de fer amorcèrent une montée en flèche en 1948, alors que la Commission des transports du Canada approuva une série de hausses demandées par les sociétés ferroviaires canadiennes. Les hausses de tarifs ébranlèrent le système de subventions régionales, vieux de 20 ans, qui avait pour but de compenser les inconvénients que leur éloignement représentait pour les expéditeurs de l'extérieur du Canada central. Les premiers ministres des provinces éloignées s'unirent pour protester, réclamant une solution politique à un problème économique structurel. Ottawa nomma une commission royale pour étudier la question, mais celle-ci s'avéra sans effet. L'unité des provinces était superficielle, et les dirigeants des Maritimes ne purent s'entendre sur un seul plan global. La commission recommanda qu'il n'y ait aucune intervention substantielle de l'État dans le système canadien des transports et permit aux forces du marché d'accélérer la centralisation de cette industrie au Canada.Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the author(s), with Acadiensis being granted a non-exclusive licence to each and every right in the work throughout the world. After publication of the work, the author(s) shall have the right to self-archive the work and to reprint the work in whole or in part in books authored by or edited by the author(s) without the payment of any fee. In these other formats, however, the author or authors are required to acknowledge the original publication of the work in the pages of the journal. In the case of any requests to reprint the work, Acadiensis will require a standard permission fee -- to be divided equally between the journal and the author. In the event that such requests are received by the author(s), the author(s) shall direct such requests to the journal.