New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-18
| services The teachers decided to dismiss scnool
| fofthaday, and all the pupils went home.
RAILROADS AND POOLS.
COMMISSIONER FINK's TESTIMONY.

COMMlSSlONEh INN ll>oi i-pC-'f'
THE POOL MANAGER EYLIGHTENlNG MP. BLAIR AND
HIS ASSOCIATES
Railroad Commissioner Fink entertained Senator
Blar's committee for several hours Yesterday lie
Is above the average height, compactly ouit ana OF
commanding presence, aud speaks with strong
German accent OCCASIONALLY he glanced az slna, !
SCRAP of paper which he held i'll his hand ana reau
figures from il. Not more than twenty-five per
sons were present at any time during the dav; al,
at the head of bureau Mr. ne hans
forty In al-that are endeav0rng TO WORK loeetneI
in matters requiring cooperation LOT business pun
poses The railroad system IS so ex,el"eu anu
there is so much comDetlton that II mas oeconlo
necessary that there should be some ORGANIZED con
necton between railroads. II w0um not 90 ior
each road TO operate on lts own nook ~. ",a
such system shippers instead OF dea Ing wl,n ""0
road would be obliged 10 deal with /, 2oo. %,
"Wbrt roads are in this combination or bureauT
inquired Senai or Blair .,. r,os-.ba
Grand Trunk of Canada New;York Cen
trail New-York, Lake Erie aud western de,n
These lines include the following branches ana con
DectIons: Lake shore. Michigan Central; Pennsyl-
vania and Ohio and all roads as far as the Mlssls-
sppI River and Chicago. There is branch of our
system between the Mississippi ana MISSOURI rlVeIs
which takes in all the railroads running westwa VAR
Island and Pacific Chicago Burlington ana Slu pcy,
Chicago aud Northwestern, aud "a few others p
sides these there is the Colorado system ana me
Southern Railroad and steamship As,ociation inc
latfer comprising TWENTY-FIVE roads. was lnstru-
mental IN establishing this association IN 1879"
"What are the principal water lines -,
"The lakes, the Erie and WelIand canals anu
the Mississippi River the chief wafer routes. IL
is by these lines that freight farms are rcguIa'eu
How is that done p asked Senator Pugh.
"The rates on the water beng cheaper than on
the land the railroads find the water routes stiO'g
competitors aud are compelled TO regulate thelr
charges by what the water routes charge. 10 ORDER
TO secure a far amount of business. The effect OF
the water freight tariffs is felt not only 1T tue com
peting points but throughout the country; Inc
real regulator of the prices OF ireehs are me MIS-
sissippi River, the Erie Canal and the Atlanuc
Ocean" ,,
"What have you to say in regard to railroad
cOmpptitlOnY
q think the competition between railroads is
much different from that between other corpora
lions; III be one case 1t Is continuous an9 Ia Tug
other periodic. The tendency OF rates unuer ran
road conpelltlon Is ALWAYS downward, aud IL IL
fact that they often driven 50 low as ht 70 pay
the expenses OF the company DIV Which my arc
adopted The nature OF business IS sucn nat IL one
railroad finds another cutting under TIE regular
rates. IL straie htway follows SUIT. ln ms way the
price Of CARVING wheat from CHICAGO 10 N""-loIh
WAS once drIven down to cents whereas the actual
cost of transportation was irom 10 10 20 cents;
Railroad wars have ALWAYS proved injurious 20 an
the interests of the country. 1he rates on the
canals are CONTROL d by the law of supply and
demand. There are 5000 canal boats engaged ia
the carrying trade"
- "Why is 1T necessary for railroad companies to
agree amoug themselves on freight ratesT
Z" rhe business OF this country could not be
carried on IihOut this agreement. Under the ora
system IL was necessary LOT "a man 10 gcJ oii VI
lading from every railroad over which his freight
WAS forwarded This OF course imposed "A vast
amount OF work upon the railroads aud gave much
trouble to the shipper. Under the onsolldauon
plan only one bill of ladlng Is issued. When the
OF the several railroads meet To-
geIher they agree not only upon the rates bui also
upon the amount of business which
each route shall do. Such association
as that which | represent IS prcai
clearing house for facts bearing upon tho maternal
interests of the roads Of which II Is composed"
Which is the more important 10 railroad, us
through traffic or local traffic !" asked Srnao
Pugb.
The local business is the more important re-
turned Mr.. Fink the through traffic beng merely
incidental. The local charges are III Il measure
regulated by the through charges"
Mir. Fink told the committee hat the pooling svs-
ten had adopted by the railroads lOr the pur-
pose OF maintaining uniform rates aud preventing
competing lines from violating their obligations.
He did not believe that il would be Wise plan Tor
the Government to undertake the mana cement OF
the railroads.
f. Thomas Fortune, Editor OF The Globe. news
paper published IN the interests OF toe colorrd
PEG pie of the country. also tes 81. lie sad that
negroes owned $4,000 acres Of land IN Georgia.
The condition OF The cOiOred people IN the South
was gradually improving. lie asserted that more
attention should he paid by the Government To the
OF coored men and women.