The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-09-18
INDUSTRIAL.
Railroad Commissioner Fink Appears
Before the Senate Committee
on Education and Labor.

New YORK, Sept. 1S,-Albert Fink
commissioner of the trunk lines, was tn,
first witness before the senate committe,
| ON labor and education. He stated tha
he was at the head OF a bureau composed
of about forty railroad companies, wht
had organized for the purpose of estab-
| fishing and maintaining a uniform tariff
The extension of railroad lines in tht
United States and the fierce competition
between them made organized actor
necessary to their existence. 1t wonlc
not do for each to operate and fix its owl
rates of transportation without regard tt
the other roads
In order to improve connections and
better accommodate the public by estab-
fishing a uniform system of rates, the
joint executive committee was formed
The system of railroad management has
been greatly complicated by the immense
increase in the number of roads. The
roads represented in the association of
which witness was at the head were five
trunk lines-New York Central, New
York, Lake Erie and Western, Pennsyl
vania, Baltimore and Ohio and the Grand
Trunk line of Canada, with all their
western connections. The latter are
roads running east and west. The terri
tory in which our roads are located is in
cluded between the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers and the great lakes.
T Mr. Fink alse stated that thefe were
two other associations west of the Missis-
sippi river, one of which included Sc yeral
large lines running west from Chicago, as
the Chicago & Northwestern, the Chicago
& Alton, the Chicago & Rock Island,
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. The
other association comprises roads west of
the Missouri, Both associations were
under the control of J. Miche!et.
The first attempt at organization of any
railroads was in the sonth in 1875, when
witness was manager of the Louisville &
Nashville. At that time there was fierce
competition between the various east and
west roads, and the property of the com
mercial interests of the country was en-
dangered. A system was established on
the same basis that at present prevails in
the north The plan worked so well that
it was adopted by all the later associa
tons. As regulator of railroad tariffs,
the water routes by way of the great lakes
and the Mississippi river were very effect.
ual. At certain seasons canal routes were
closed to traffic, and it was popularity
supposed that railroads then had it all
their own way This was not true, and
the idea that roads could extort any tariff
they pleased by merely combining, was
false. There were many other elements
which would combine to prevent such a
result
In regard to competition ON water
routes, the witness thought this could not
be controlled as in the case of railroads.
1t was much easier to put steamboat or
a dozen canal boats on route than to
build new railroad. The principal object
of the association was to arrange uniform
rates of tariff for the transportation on
competitive plan. 1t had nothing to do
with local business, but only when there
was competition at some great distribut-
ing point for certain class of business.
This was necessary in order to protect the
shippers, that roads competing for this
business should have an understanding by
which rates would be known.
Senator Blair inquired whether this