The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-08-27

LII III
whether, as q common carrier, he did no
feet II his duty that rates should be uni
form and alike to all shippers. He did no
know about that.
The Chairman then asked the witnes
whether there was any standard which h
recognized as q unit Of charge In the vol
ume Of shipments, whether II was q tral1
or car load. Mr.. Vanderbilt declined Il
commit himself TO any unit OF shipment
Hethought, on the whole, each case shout
, stand on It's own bottom in the giving o
special rates.
He was asked by the Chairman Il tive
persons, situated In every respect alike
but one shipping athousand and the othel
q hundred barrels, whether the same rate
would be given to both. He said that ht
did not know whether he would or not
that II depended upon circumstances. Id
insisted that In competing with other rail
ways, what 1t will pay the railway TO do Il
at and what the business will bear, vert
the only things to regulate II.
Upon being asked whether Il wa wise
to maintain the law fixing the rate OF two
cents per mile on passenger traffic, he id
mitted that 1t was.
FOLLOWING IN THE WAKE or OTHER RAIL.
ROADS.
He was asked whether, II It was abol.
ished, he would charge whatever the bust.
ness would bear, and make a special rate
to one mar and refuse It 10 another.
He said 1t depended very much upon
What another railway that ran In compe.
ution with him might do II at. Ee would
follow In It's wake. II they went down,
he would go down; Il they went up, he
would go up; II they made special rates,
he would make them; but was not pre-
pared to say what he would do in such
an event until the case arose. MIR. Van.
derbilt insisted, however, that the rates TO
various local points were now under the
Jurisdiction OF Mr.. Fink, but admitted
that that was only since the past few
weeks, and that 1t applied only to certain
points west OF Syracuse and Schenectady,
where the Erie Railway Company com.
petad with them, and did not apply TO in.
termediate points, where such competition
did not exist.
Mr.. Vanderbilt was then examined
upon the subject Of the extent to which
he had informed himself as 10 the ef.
feet that special rates have upon the COM
merce OF the State and the injurious re-
suits produced; to which he replied that
he had taken no trouble to inform him
sell, but he supposed that itthey acted in
juriously he would have heard Of It by
complaint; that he heard very few COM
plants, but on the contrary was highly
compltmented upon his management Of
the New York Central Railroad.
MIR. Stearne suggested that he was proba-
bly, surrounded by a number OF people
who desired to please his ears by CRAFTY.
ing statements instead OF critiCising them,
and that would explain the reason why he
heard no complaints.
He was.Also asked, as to the influence of
gradients and volume OF business. He was
closely Intercepted upon the question
whether he knew what the cost Of trans
portation per mile on his own road was.
He stated that he did not. that It was a
thing that nobody ever knew.
On being asked when he knew whether
a rate was a paying rate, he said he could
not tell.
He was asked whether he did not carry
from Chicago to New York at a rate OF ten
cents a hundred, which netted seven and
one.tenth cents to the New York Central
for the haul from Buffalo to New York;
whether he did not know whether that
was or wa not q paying rate.
he said he had seen in the papers that
the rate was about eleven cents q hundred
that when the rate got about that point he
would bid for the business, but would not
carry it, because there was no money
in it.
Upon being asked If there was a profit
or loss upon such a ten.cent rate, and how
he knew there was no money in il, he an
swered that it didn't pay. He admitted
that fifteen ceuts a hundred would not be
very profitable; that twenty cents would
be about the rate they would carry it at
to make a profit: that that profit included
interest OIL bonds and dividends on stock.
He was asked whether in determining
what rate would pay he considered the
paying interest on bonds and dividends on
stock; to which he answered, OF course;
that the twenty cents rate would thus pay.
which would be about nine cents a hun.
dred for the haul from Buffalo to New
York to the New York Central,
he was asked whether these special
rates did not prevail as to the through
traffic as well as local; whether it was not
surrendered Us a bad thing. He said it
was; that it got to the point where there
no money in it for anybody, and that
therefore the roads had to give it up.
He was then asked why it should not be
given up to the local traffic. He said
he did not know; that the bust.
ness could not be done without special
rates as to local traffic. Witness stated
that there was an implied secrecy or ex.
press understanding Of secrecy when a
special rate was given, "but it seems that
you Mr.. Sterne) have found out all about
We can't keep those things a secret"
Mr.. Sterne replied that It was in the ma.
ture OF an evil to come to the light.
Mr.. VANDERBILT As A FARMER.
Mr.. Vanderbilt was then questioned
upon the Determinations against citizens
OF our wi State in favor OF citizens OF
other States. He was asked whether the
iacto OF his carrying freight at lower rates
from Chicago to New York did not result
in subiecting the farm produce of our own
State 10 a ruinous discrimination. He said
he did mt know whathar II Ala or nok,