, 1877-04-22
TEE RAILROADS..

| THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1877.
1t4ppears from all article In the last number
! OF the Hauray 1ye that in the first three
| months OF this year thirteen roads, with COM
plctcd mileage OF 1859 miles and. representing
IN apparent cost Of about sso,0c0,o00, hare
|: been sold out for nominal sums, the sale gen.
orally wiping out everything but the
| first 8. mortgage. Nine roads, with a
mileage OF little less than 1,100 miles,
not counting the partly graded roadway
about s67, ,0oo, 900, haye passed into tue hands Of
Receivers between Jan. l and April l. 4 NUM-
ber OF other roads are to be sold during the
summer, as the result Of dcerees already made:
From twenty to thirty Of these will be sold
during the latter part Of April aud May.
While the showing is not gratifying, says the
Age, it Is not cllargeable to the present con-
dltion Of railway business and prospects.
Most OF the roads named have 1oug been in a
fortune, or excesscs; and'even II general pros
pcrty hnd returned, their taking-otf would be
matter Of necessity and cxpedcncyf They are
mostly Of the second or third class, and al
though the losses which they involve fall just US
heavily upon individuals as If they were
significant. Others still must go
by the board, but it may reasonably be hoped
that the sitting out process is nearly completed,
and that With the return OF better times, to
nope, there Will soon be pause in the down
ward movement, followed by return to gen
eral prosperity. -
TIE SOUTHWESTERN RATE ASSO-
CIATIoN.
The Southwestern Railroad Rate Association
stands III danger of going to pieces at an carly
day. The harmony which is claimed to exist
between the various lines belonging, to tho As
in h,,t
since the organization Of the pool the
St. Louis roads and the Hannibal
& St. Joe have been periodically
violating the agreement By cutting the regular
tarill rates. Whenever they were hauled before
the forum to answer tor Their mis- msdseas see shey
prllcd to sin i'll order to keen up with other
competitors, especially the Toledo, Wabash i
Western, now known as the Wabash Line.
They promised each time to behave in the
the pledge was again broken. During the last
month or TWO matters in. this respect have pe~
come SO bad that the Chicago roads belonging
to The Association can stand it no longer, aud if
some arrangement is not made by Which the
St.:Louis lines can be compelled to maintain
rates they will withdraw from the Association
and thus break the pool. Tic St. Louis roads
clnim that they cannot maintain rates |
against the competition Of the Wabash Line. ]
which is aided by the Hannibal i st: Joe. which
present state OF affairs, the Missouri River bus-
ness Of the Chicago roads has greatly fallen Off |
aud they feel that radical measures art neces~
sary to maintain their supremacy. |
Wednesday at the Grand Pacific Hotel, when
this matter will he brought up for discussion.
Judging by the way matters stand now, it will |
not be surprising il it is decided that the pool
has been failure, aud that the Chicago roads
will tie better OF without it.
LIVESTOCK RATES.
The General Freight Agents Of the roads lead
ing East from this city met yesterday, aud dc-
:idcd upon an advance in livestock rates, as pre-
licted in TnE TRIBUNE Two days ago. The al
rance on cattle, horses, aud sheep, is five
:cnts over the rates in existence heretofore.
rhc, rate en- hogs was made the same
Is on. cattle. which makes the. increase
10 cents per 100 lbs. The figures on hogs, cat
lie, horses and sheep will he on and aftor to-
rs follows; From c4'sagg to Sew
:ents;*" to. Suspension Bridge, Pitts
,urg,:. Akron, Wheeling, aud Bellaire,
% cents; to- Dunkirk, ~ Gents;
cents; to Toledo 8 sst cents. This action Oh
,he past OF the Eastern railroads shows what
hey will do next winter on grain aud other
relsht rates i the present compact IS not
'roken before that time. They would undoubt-
we're t not 5p' e for e''fi'ps the competition By
hpped By lake, ei and hcnce the RAILROADS can
make n the rates On them what they choose, and
therefore, they are pi1ing 1t On as nigh as cau
.ouis,. indianapolis, and Cincinnati, and
,art the interests OF Chicago But