St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-21
Agents Cast Aside the Schedule and Allow
Shippers to Name Rates for
Transportation.
The Week Inaugurated|in Railroad Circles
by Gut to Council
Bluffs.
Local Freight Agents of Northwestern
Traffic Association Lines Deny
Rates Are Demoralized.
Proposed Extension of the North
Western--The Traffic Northern
Rivers Produce.
Slashing Freight Rrtes.

Special to the Globe.
Chicago, April 2O.-The week has
opened with still further reduction in
freight rates, the Northwestern commenc-
ing to-day by quoting Council Bluffs &
Omaha; at firSt-class 35 cents: second-class,
25 cents; third-clasS, Is cents; f0urth-clasS
and all below 10 cents. The st. Paul
ostensibly stuck to its Saturday tariff, un-
der instructions to maintain it until advices
were received from the Milwaukee office.
The other roads met the cut and the ship
pers virtually could make almost any rate
they pleased. 1t is the evident determina-
to go to the bottom with the hope that
the war will prove short, sharp and
decisive, and that the managers may be
persuaded that it is better to concede than
to fight. Many predict, however, that the
questions are too grave and radical to be
met and regulated at once, and that when a
settlement comes it will include the arrang-
ing of the tripartite and all Nebraska buSi-
ness as well. 1t is believed that the North
western
WILL FORCE THIS THROUGH,
using local demoraliZing as a lever to per-
suade other roads of the better policy of
cOnceding its position, thus enforcing the
pOA1O OC4OIC tilC udyS CApllC Ill WlilCIl
it has to report its business to the tripartite
pool. The expected slump in St. Paul rates
came later in the day. There was pre-
tense during the earlier hours of
keeping strictly to summer tariff,
but, as an agent remarked,
1T looked shaky," and there was feeling
m the air that in spite of the pools and
traffic association there would be break.
AS explained recently, for the roads per-
tanning to the Northwestern Traffic asso-
citation, outside of the Chicago, Milwaukee
& st. Paul, to continue maintenance of
rates in the face of the latter's policy on the
'milling-in-transit' question, was to virtu-
ally concede to it the point in dispute.
From its attitude at its meeting heretofore
held, there seemed to be no probability of
its conceding or receding, and only heroic
measures could reach the marrow. Perhaps
even these will not reach cure, but they
will at least bring matters to head, and
under the spur of it cuts, undercuts, and
the various other methods that characterize
a rate war, 1t may impress upon all other
roads
THE NECESSITY OF A COMPROMISE.
1t was probably upon this line of reasoning
that the recently adopted summer tariff be-
came late yesterday afternoon no longer a
guide or authentic schedule. No open rate
was made, but there was no difficulty in OBJ
tanning under-quotations The shipper
could have shipped by the Northwestern
first class at 40 cents and at reduction of
about 20 per cent. on other classes. The
Rock Island or Burlington would have been
equally considerate, while the instruction
to the st. Pul agent was to meet all cuts
This is the beginning. The unfolding of
the plot and the finale will probably take
up several more chapters.