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S. Yu. Witte – Originator of Railway Tariffs Theory. Part 2

https://doi.org/10.30932/1992-3252-2023-21-6-17

Abstract

Exactly 140 years ago, the most famous, in our opinion, work by Sergei Yu. Witte «Principles of railway tariffs for transportation of goods» was first published. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of this book. Our regular author, a well-known scientist, D. Sc. (Engineering), Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences Dmitry Levin, decided to share his thoughts after a new reading of this work, which has not yet lost its relevance. The encyclopaedic views of S. Yu. Witte may be of interest both to economists and to sociologists, philosophers, scientists, and specialists in the theory of public administration. Many of S. Yu. Witte’s judgments have not lost their scientific, theoretical and practical significance to this day and in this sense turned out to be prophetic. They also regard the competition of rail transport with water and land transport (then it was horse-drawn haulage, but now it can be easily substituted in the judgments with road transport), the need for a clear correlation of any economic models with national interests, the requirements of a particular historical stage, the harmfulness of blind use of schemes borrowed from outside without considering the socio-political and economic context.
The methodology for constructing prices for transportation of goods, set out by S. Yu. Witte is not only of historical interest (especially in conjunction with the reviews and discussions that accompanied the appearance of his book), but remains important for the modern solution of newly arising issues of improving the tariff system under market transition. Not least of all, the methodology is connected with the cardinal question that arose even then: whether railways should be a natural monopoly or a commercial structure –a debate that continues today.
This issue publishes the second, final part of the article, which contains the author’s own conclusions and proposals regarding the possible transformation of S. Y. Witte’s ideas regarding solution of modern transport and tariff problems.

About the Author

D. Yu. Levin
JSC NIIAS
Russian Federation

Levin, Dmitry Yu., D.Sc. (Eng), Chief Expert 

Moscow



References

1. Witte Sergei Yulievich. Principles of railway tariffs for transportation of goods [Printsipy zheleznodorozhnykh tarifov po perevozke gruzov]. Kyiv, Tip. I. N. Kushnereva i KO, 1883, 294 p.

2. Witte, S. Yu. Memories [Vospominaniya]. Moscow, Publishing house of socio-economic literature, Vol. 1–3, 1960.

3. Witte, S.Yu. Notes of lectures on the national and state economy given to His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich in 1900–1902 [Konspekt lektsii o narodnom i gosudarstvennom khozyaistve, chitannykh ego imperatorskomu vysochestvu velikomu knyazyu Mikhailu Aleksandrovichu v 1900–1902]. St. Petersburg: Brockhaus and Efron publ., 1912, XV, 568 p.

4. Witte, S.Yu. Regarding Leon Say’s opinion on railway tariffs [Po povodu mneniya Leon Say o zheleznodorozhnykh tarifakh]. Inzhener, Kyiv, 1883, Iss.1–12, pp. 9–13.

5. Russian ports and railway tariffs: App. Speech of Prince Bismarck regarding the port of Libau delivered at the 49th meeting of the Reichstag, February 14, 1885 [Russkie porty i zheneznodorozhnie tarify: Pril. Rech kn. Bismarka po povodu libavskogo porta, skazannaya im v 49 zasedanii Reikhstaga, 14 fevralya 1885 goda]. Kyiv, S. V. Kulzhenko’s print.house, tsenz. 1886, 20, III p.; 28.

6. Witte, S. Yu. Collected essays and documentary materials: in 5 volumes [Sobranie sochenenii i dokumentalnykh materialov: V 5 t.]. Ed. board: L. I.Abalkin (chair) [et al]. Moscow, Nauka publ., 2002–2007. ISBN 5-02-008394-1.


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Levin D.Yu. S. Yu. Witte – Originator of Railway Tariffs Theory. Part 2. World of Transport and Transportation. 2023;21(6):146-158. https://doi.org/10.30932/1992-3252-2023-21-6-17

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ISSN 1992-3252 (Print)