New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-04-29
THE WESTERN FREIGHT WAR.

A CONFERENCE OF WABASH DIRECTORS.
TRY ING TO SECURE A SETTLEMENT OF THE DISPUTE
BETWEEN THE WABASH AND JHE TRUNK LINE
CoNNEC1oNs-A CIRCULAR BY COMMISSIONER
FINK-PROPosED EXTENSION or THE WABASH
After the dissolution of the Southwestern pool
the Wabash Railway Company offered 10 carry
freight from the seaboard to Missouri River points
at the established through rate to Chicago Inc
difference between the schedule rates to Chicago
and those to Toledo afforded a small margin,
amounting on fourth-clas5 freight TO CENTS
for division between the Wabash and the st.
Louis roads To meet this rivalry the
Chicago roads were obliged to haui
for nothing beyond that point all freight Tor
Missouri River points, unless the trunk lines would
share in the cut rates. Before tins action was taken
by the Wabash Road, Commissioner Fink had an
nounced in circular that the conflict would be con-
fined strictly to the Chicago and st. Louis roads,
AT meeting last week of the Joint Executive
Committee of the trunk lines and their Western
connections, the action Of the Wabash Road
caused much discussion. A conference was held on
Friday between Commissioner Fink and the EXecu-
tive Committee of the Wabash Company No apso-
lutte settlement of the dispute was effected, and
another long conference was held last evening l.
is said that the committee OF the Wabash Company
demanded the abrogation of the arbitrary rate 10
st. LOnis and the recognition OF IOIedo as a
10 the claims of the Wabash Road, and yesterday
issued circular i'll part as tollows:
For the purpose of preventing the present war
of rates west of Chicago and MISSISSIPPI River
extending to the Eastern roads, il has been agreed
that hereafter bills of adng for all freight destined
to Missouri River points shall be gwen and
rates guaranteed only TO Mississippi River points,
including ST. Louis, and those rates Will be the
same as those now charged under the regular tarh
rates TO those points. In explanation OF the above
arrangements il will be mentioned that the object
M he roads reDrcSputed the JOINT Executive
Committee is to put the roads through Chicago, St
Louis and Hannibal upon precisely the same 1907
ing, and thus to cOnfine the present war OF
rates to the territory west OF the Mississippi
River The cooperation of all interested parties Ill
carrying out his plan Is relied uDon 1Or the reason
that departure from 1t cannot beneht any parties
as the amount of traffic passing through Chicago
and st. Louis is determined by existing agreements
and cannot be changed by any reduction G:9dust-
roads west or east of Chicago and 81. Louis,
The rate to Chicago on frst-class freight is rs
cents while that to st. Louis is 96 cents. Ii was
claimed by the Wabash managers that an equitable
rate, on a mileage basis would be 81 cents
"a reduction of 8 cents from the present
rate II was SAID yesterday by persons prominent
i'm the management of the Wabash Road that the
concession In rates TO ST. Louis would end existing
difficulties. If our demands be granted by the
commissioner" It was said, "our recent rates win
be withdrawni if they are not. the war has jnst
fhe management of the Wabash Company, mean
while, has been changed by the retirement OF
Commodore Garrison and of several OF the directors.
On April IL Cyrus W. Field accepted the presidency
of the company, and last week Russell Sage. Jay
Welsh, of Philadelphia, and James f. soy,
of Detroit, were elected directors. Mr. Welsh is a
director of the New-YOrk, Lake Erie and Western,
which, through the Atlantic and Great Western,
connects with the Wabash and gives it a through
line to St. Louis; William r. Garrison, who remains
IN the board is a director of the St. Louis Pacific,
which extends from ST. Louis to Kansas City; Scion
Humphreys is director Of the st. Louis, Kansas
CITY and Northern, between the same points Rus
Kansas CITY to junction with the Union Pacific, of
which Sidney Dillon, Jay Gould, Russell Sage and
SOlon Humphreys are directors. while James +. Joy
is a director of the Eel River and the Detroit Hills
dole and Southwestern Roads,