The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-10
IRON HIGHWAYS.
The General Passenger Agents and So
Called "LabOr Bureaus"
The Reading Observation-Disclosures Of the
Illinois Railroad Commissioners
Bright Prospect for
the Railroads.

IOAAa AAA4 aA4S -
There are very few Of the Indianapolis
roads that DO not demand that those of their
employees who handle large sumo OF money
shal be Injured in the Canadian Qua -antee
C-ompany-and IN fact very few mtne United
States that do not require this.
An Indianapolis railroad man has just re-
ceived q letter from a friend in New Orleans,
stating that the General P~assenger Agents of
lines leading from that paint have been oil
along, and are at present, making desperate
efforts to rid that city of scalpers. They are
making little or no head way, however, the
letter says, and the reduced rate men con-
finue to come in from all parts OF the coun-
try. Indianapolis, he says, is about the only
city in the Union that is not re represented at
the Crescent City by q scalper.
"Thereis one thing certain, I" said al OH ,isl
oil the Bee Line yesterday, I've will have to
spend very little money this year in making
improvements. The entire main line and all
divisions are in splendid condition. Last
year we purchaser several thousand dollars
worth of new rolling stock, and in fact all
of our engines and cars are comparatively
new. Our freight and passenger depots ara
kept in good order, and we are making as
good time a. any other read in the country,
and better than q large portion OF them"
Judging from the talk of q prominent rail-
road man, the prospects for the railroads Of
the country are not near 50 bad as they have
been pictured. This gentleman says the
railroads have felt q slight and steady i'm.
provement since the middle of December,
and the period OF depression in the latter
months of 1884 seems to have died out with
the year. The Improvements of the steel
and iron markets mean a great deal. The
former had reached bed rocK by the first OF
December, and about the middle of the
month a reaction set in. 1t is q fact that the
Improvement of the market will start rail-
rosd operators to building, although the
work could be done cheaper when labor is
cheap and steel commanding a low market
price. improvement OF one market Is usu-
ally ollowed by another. Before the mid
die OF February this railroad man thinks
that the good old times will be reinstated.
The Railroad and Warehouse Commits
= rioners, OF Illinois, q. q recent meeting con-
sidered further the question OF q general re-
duction of freight rates throughout the State,
aud rendered q decision which reads as fol
lows: "The railroads claim that they bear
their fair share of the burden OF the hard
times and low prices by the decreased ton
mage and loss OF passenger traffic necessarily
incident thereto, aud that this burden rests
so heavily upon them that they can not
stand a further reduction in rates until the
~ tAe11tOttobA044 ICNiNOof WittAVu
1t being reflected upon toe employment they
give To labor. That there are but nine
Illinois Toads la the State self sustaining
on illinois business, and that the large num-
Der OF Glass B roads, the most essential to
the farmers. are reproductive. IL has not
been shown that any general reduction
wcuid be beneficial to any general business
interests of the State st present, and consid-
erirg all the circumstance as developed the
commission is not ready to publish a radical
-
al commodities on ali the roads OF the State.
The commission will continue to hear any
AND all who desire to be heard on these sub
jects. and will act unhesitatingly in the
light OF the best information obtainable."
The General Passenger Agents of many of
The large lines are being bothered by the
agents OF so-called 'lsbor bureaus" who de-
0ire special rates for emigrant Travellers A
great many accommodations have been
given to this class in the past, and the gen.
eral result has been that instead of confining
them selves TO their legitimate business the
members have jumped into the ticket-scslp-
ing business. with considerable loss to the
railroad companies and very little benefit TO
any one bat themselves the scheme of adj
vertising for several hundred men to go to a
certain point for work, when in fact there is
no work there. has become too familiar to need
further comment. The more men the labor
taAtoa Caa " tAC ulOuc1 ~
makes Allowing. however, that it is what
1t purports to be-a LABOR bureau-and that
IL is honest in all its transactions, what is to
keep the intending traveller with some way
station as his objective point from buying a
special rate ticket TO, say New Orleans. and
dropping OH at his way-station on this side
Of that city, thus practically cheating the
railroad company of the difference between
the arbitrary rate to the true objective point
and the special rate to New Orleans? With
these arguments against them, railroad COM
psnies are gradually coming to the conc a.
SIGN that many of the labor bureaus ar q
deiusion and a snare, and their days are
probably numbered.
The Reading ~Bondholders' Committee has
selected the following gentlemen TO be voted
for a. Directors at the annual meeting of the
stockholders on Monday next: ]. B. Lip
pincott, ]. V. Williamson, +. A. Comfy.
Kobert a Ssyre. Joseph Wharton and Jonn
Wannamsker. Mr.. George De b. Keim will
have no opposition for the Presidency. The
three frst-named gentlemen are members of
the present Board OF Directors and the Others
are new selections. 1t had been determined
some time ago 10 make q change in the di-
rectory of the company. The board as at
present constituted Is regarded as represent
Ing what - known ss the Gowen regime. and
this competition, after the election on Mon !
day next, will be nsutralizsd by the new
membership. messrs- Lippincott and
Williamson will be retained because of
their large interest in the securities OF the
company, and Mr.. Comfy because of ois az |
ecutlve ability, his connection with the
Northern P~ennsylyaniz Railroad and his
Identification with large manufacturing in. |
ierssts Messrs Lewis and Altemus, the re-
firing members OF the board, had contem.
plated rssigniDg for some time past, and Mr.. |
Knight, the third retiring member, has such
large business interests that he could not
give the Resding Company as much of his |
attention as be felt 1t Was entitled to. or
the new members Joseph Wharton was
chosen because OF MS large interests in the
Residing securities; John Wsnamsker he |
ceuse Mr. Vanderbilt especially desired it:
Robert H. Sayre, because OF the extended !
knowledge OF railroad management be will
bring into the new board.