New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-08-12
RAILROAD INTERESTS.
ERIE METHODS DEFENDED.

A TALK WITH GEORGE r.. BLANCHARD-REPLIEs TO
MIR. vANDERBuT's CRITICIsMs-TIE NEW YORK
| CENTRALs PART IN THE ORIGIN OF TIE FREIGHT
WAR.
AT the railroad meeting Wednesday, George II.
blanchard, first vice-presdent of the Erie Railroad,
deiended that company against the charges that it
had violated its agreement by cutting freight
rates. TRIBUNE reporter sought from
INN yesterday an explicit reply in behalf
| OF the company Mr.. Blanchard could not deny
positively that the road had carried grain below the
tariff rates, but he said that the contracts made
by former officer of the road and were only for
| small amount. The agreement referred to in Mr..
Rutter's letter, which read at the meeting of
| the Executive Committee Wednesday, is under
stood to have provided among other things that
each one should give notice to the other when he
was unable to oh serve the general agreement be-
tween the trunk line roads. The language of the
letter may be susceptible of different meaning
from that which it appears to bear In reply to the
questions OF The TRIBUNE reporter Mr.. Blanchard
said:
81 read the interview with President Vanderbilt
with interest, az it seems to have been timed TO APP
pear on the mornln of the meeting, which, il was
well understood none of his representatives would
attend, and which his views were perhaps intended
to make futile. Neither the Erie Company nor any
one OF its officers has any personal feeling on this
SUBJECT the interests concerned too great to
justify individual animosties,and the whole question
should be IN ct in the broadcast spirit of cancellations
because it involves in part the contin-
nance of financial prosperity commercial
values foreign well domestic rivalres and i'm
portant questions of public discrimination. Although
President Vanderbilt says there is nothing to con-
lei about think these reasons justify the most
careful deliberation. We are glad Mr. Vanderbilt
has stated bis views, because we understood he had
recently said that the principal grievance of his
NVoG tba o,,lo
sylvania Railroad in New-England, and that he had
recently demanded that the New-York and New
Haven Road should eyict the PENNSYLVANIA Com
pany from New-England. To various others we
understand he has expressed his intention to stop
the construction of parallel lines"
" Is the New-York Central now more seriously
threatened by rival construction than any other
trunk line ~ asked the reporter
Neither the Chesapeake and Ohio the Balti-
more and Ohio, the Pennsylvania nor the Grand
Trunk Road is threatened with parallel rail
lines. The extension OF the Lackawanni Road to
that company has forwarded all its coal and through
/ freight traffic by the NewYorl Central through
Syracuse Add to this-whch is likely appreciablv
70 decrease the traffic of the New-York Central2
the construction of the West Shore Road parallel
TO IT, for which IFS bankers inform me F35, 6OoO
western the Boston, Hoosac Tunnel and Western,
Which is pushing ITS way westward through the
SohaWk valley the Eric Company's connection 10
New-England by way OF Fishkill, to be opened
probably, IN October, and the growing business of
ihe ,fch9syNana Railroad to and from Ncw-Eng-
land by New-York and you see tho Neyy-York Cen
tral Company is much seriously attacked
locally by pending railway enterprises than all the
Viher trunk lines combined. If President Wander
blt knows that low rates can prevent their
completion, he Is justified in the endeayor unon
the principle of clf-preservation aud the other
companies should look reasonably and fairly al his
difficulties The best financial and business fhought
OF the count Y. however is opposed TO the belief
that they can be 50 stopped. They have gone too
lar; the bonds III most cases have been taken by
he in
cases Is III trust Tor purposes from which ii cannot
DC diverted. Mr., Vanderbilt seems however to
ignore these considerations and offers as reasons for
ms present action only the OF his rivals rs 10
rates IL tins he tn fact, the machinery Of the
Board of Arbitration united to that of the Commits
sl0Eers ONCE has been provided, under former
trunk line agreements for their definite adjustment
Tor upward ot two years, and the Grand Trunk,
Baltimore and Ohio Pennsylvania and Erie
asked that queStio ut issue should be
decided by IT, III no single instance has the New
YORK central Company ever permitted "a question,
IN which was OF the principals, be referred
10 tIiat board ana III every case where the other
companies h We offered and voted to submit all
questions AT issue To that tribunal, the New-lor
Central tompany has. without ception, voted no.
OF n{ de9ihmg to vote al all accomplished tne same
result l'S L'St refusal was the voting no on three
proposals for arbitration moved by the president of
tins company on the 9TH of June last
President Vanderbilt seems 10 have such adniro-
non for the pool system of the roads northwest from
Chicago (as where he says: 1t is pity we did not
nave some oi ihelr sense aud honesty that his re-
pcated refusal to submit the questions involved in
similar trunk line pool to the Board of Arbitration
Ioi us decision Is contradictory and parad Xical"
ERIE's LARGE DELIVERIES OF GRAIN.
How do you explain Che large increase in the
deliveries of grain by the Erie Road 7"
President Vanderbilt says: By emitting rates
and by no other means Every railroad man in the
country who knows anything about it will tell Won
that he astonished that the Central stood il so
long. nave simply followed their rates. Now |
take pleasure IN permitting Nce-PreSident Rutter
of the Ncw-loTk Central road, to answer his chief
by the following letter:
NEw-YoRK CENTRAL AND HUDSON RIVER Il. r. Co,
OFFICE OF THE TluRD NIcE-PHEsIDENT,
. . NEW York, June 3, 1881.
G' * BiANCHARD esq racep'eSden n. l., i. h. and W.
DEAR SIR: regret feeling compelled to give you no
lcc tnht 'hc private personal agreement which
April 10 and which WINS reduced writing Nav 10 il
hereby terminated have to believe that you
have violated the agreement the contrary believe
You have kept 1t bnt your evident inability to hold yor
connections has co,nteracted the benefits hoped TO
derive from our arrangement Very truly yours,
j. ii. RurrER Third Vice President.
"Of course Mr.. lutter Loyalty obcyed orders in
giving TINS notice, but the assigned an cX
cuse and not reason. The Erie company uses i'm
the West at tins time roads under the control of he
but the agreement to which Mr.. Rutter refers was
for the very purpose of mutually controlling other
as wen as those connections and it has only re-
emily appeared that the cuts to which references
made indicating our inability To Central
connections. ami the subsequently assigned cause of
tins letter, were made fr0n Peoria; and il now an
pears that they were made by both the New-York
Central and the Erie road. and in both eases with
out knowledge on the part of either company and
in the face of the denals of the accused Western
road. Rec nty large claims have been presented to
both the Central and the Erie companies for draw
Dacks, ana pay neut alike refused by both. At the
time OF making the agreement of Aprii I6 TO which
Mr.. Rutter refers, stated distinctly hat n former
officer OF our company had made some contracts
in a.pgJ .,It IL.