The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-12

The West Shores Desperate Struggle
for NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Some
of the Central Group
Roads.

The Air Line people will soon announce
their summer time table.
There is q slight falling of in west-bound
passenger receipts, which is attributed to the
decrease in emigrsnt travel.
]. ID. Leeds will be bill clerk OF the Wa
bash when l.. &c. Fellows. the new local
sgent, assumes the duties of that position.
William McMsins 8 passenger conductor
On the c., II. and l., was dropped yesterday
morning. He will be succeeded by Ed
PadgeD.
The ..brokers'' hold their annual meeting
Tomorrow, and it is understood that they
will give the general passenger agents orders
10 hereafter strictly maintain tariff rates.
II is generally conceded that the l., p. and
O. will coon be out of the hands OF the Wa.
bash people, but tue parties who operate it
will have to expend thousands of dollars in
Improvements and repairs. The Wabash is
In arrears about $500, 900 to the l., P. and;C.,
and there is nothing to indicate that the de-
mande OF the bondbolders will be met. Prob.
ably there is no road passing through Indiana
with lis affairs in so com plicated condition.
The earnings of several roads comprising
what 10 known as the central group, for the
three months ending March 81, have been
compiled. Among them is the l., B. and w.
which during this period earned $50, 151;
Peoria, Decatur and Evansville SIG 81:
against $3.50 23S for the same period 10 1884:
Evansville and Terse Haute $16I, 753 agalnst
$l6l, $40 last year, showing &C increase OF
1898: Cincinnati. Indianapolis, st. Louis
and Chicago 1896. $50, against s49i 154, show.
ing an increase of 500. 226. The earnings of
these roads per mile was as follow: l.. B.
and w. 81 05S;P., ID. and Z 1894: E. and T.
ii $110s; c., l., St. L. and G 81. IA.
The Pennsylvania people have never taken
OCCASION to deny the published report that
negot; atoms were pending looking to the
purchase or lease of the C., II. and D. by
that company, and IL is still generally bs-
lieved that there is some foundation for the
Iumor. The c., II. and DIS geograph icai
position with reference to the course of trade
and to the Pennsylvania Compsny's system
is all that could be desired, for the p, C. a1G
ST. l.. has for many years felt the need of
direct lire of it's own between Cincinnati
and Chicago and aiso q Cincinnati extension
OF the Vaudalia. In q word the c., ri. and
ID. would prove OF no little value to the
Pennsylvania system ii many ways. The
railway world will learn ere many months
have come aid gone whether or not there is
any truth in the rumor.
There are indications that the West Shores
struggle for existence is becoming desperate.
Tie policy adopted OF doing business at q
less could succeed only il the means of pay
ing the deficit for q long period should be as.
tured. The preprietors of the West Shore
desire to get an income from their invest
ment. They can get one either by carrying
traffic at profit or by transferring their
property TO some one who will give them
rental for it. or securities which will yield an
income. They complained that the Nav
York Central deprived them of the income
their road could otherwise earn by reducing
the local freight ratss so as to leave no proht
on this business The West Shore then re.
duced the local passenger rates below cost. as
mesns Of causing great losses to the New
York Central. There was no sense in this
action unless it was expected that
the loses caused by the New
York Central would be so great
that that company would, rather than en-
dure them, make some arrangement WHICH
would give the West Shore al income or
able it to earn one. This might bs done
either by a lease an agreed division of traffic
or q eais of the West Shore securities or, for
time (pIoDably very short time. by an
agreed general advance in rates. The West
Shore had the advantage that for every dol.
lar 1t would lose by low rates the New York
Central would lose several dollars. By sink
ing million year il might perhaps, re-.
duce the profits OF the Central three or four
millionsa year. But the Central had the
advantage tbatit could lose much more than
thie and still meet its fxeo charges, while
the Wet Shore must borrow money 10 meet
it's working expenses. 1t is for this reason
that We said when the West Shore made the
Cent.a-mile passenger rate that nothing could
justify the receivers in such policy unless
theo were sure they could get the money to
to pay their deficits for long perisd.-Rail-