The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-05-23
LAW FOR RAILWAYS.
COMMISSIONER FINK GIVES HIS VIEWS
ON THE SUBJECT.
The Whole System of the Country Should
BE Controlled by One Power-A Law
for Pools Other Remarks
Industrial Items.

New York, May 23.-At the meeting of |
the Interstate commerce committee. Rail- |
road Pool Commissioner Alfred Fink made |
long statement, in which he said: "There
is now very little complaint of ex-
cessiye railroad charges Indeed, many
railroad corporations have been driven
INTO bankruptcy because their
charges were too low to pay expenses
Roads east of the Mississippi river have in
many instances been doing business at a loss
for two years lido not believe in establish
ing by law maximum rate. The action
of one road can upset the whole system of
tariffs The West Shore road has
been the disturbing element of late. One
question is: Shall one road by adopting ru-
inonsly low rates be allowed to bankrupt
othersF A reduction of rates benefits the
farmer after time, but not Immediately.
Rates at competing points are fixed by the
pool commission. AT points where there is
no competition the one road touching there
names the rate. This is done to equalize
traffic The pooling association was able
to enforce the rules governing the distribu-
ton of business until recently. when every
thing went to pieces. Railroading has be-
come as much of a profession as law or
medicine. The roads ara better able to fix
their own rates than any state or national
commission Railroad men make rates the
study of their lives There are hundreds of
things to be taken into consideration which
| outsiders know nothing about. The
| conditions of trade must be recognized.
| Many interests can be controlled and sub
| served only through such commercial organ
izations as | represent. Railroad corpora
tons should be compelled to organize them
\ selves in associations for this purpose. 1t
| would be good plan for roads to publish
their tariffs, so that everybody could see
| just what they are"
Mr.. Fink was not prepared to lay down
the provisions of law to compel corpora
| tions after they had entered into an agree
| ment in regard to rates, to keep it, but he
| was quite certain that such law should be
drafted and passed by the legislature OF con-
gress. The railroad property Of the whole
country should be managed as one property.
Either railroads should lie governed by the
government or by association formed among
themselves. Mr.. Fink promised to prepare
some suggestions which might aid the COM
mittee in formulating bills,
G. r. Blanchard, formerly vice president
Of the Erie railroad, addressed the com
mittee for nearly two hours. He said that,
at the present time, there were very few
railroads in the United States, which
charged the rate, either freight or passen
ger allowed them under their charters. Dis
crimination can not, AMI ought not to b.
bani he'll from interstate commerce. Unjust
| discrimination, of course, should be con
1emned. He thought it the duty of th(
u United States to protect investors Ia rail
road and other property as much as it is Il
I protect the farmer, who occupy the lands
, Mr. Blanchard firmly believed that UniteG
1 States railroad commission should be ap
pointed for the purpose of settling the many
r 4 questions which are continually arising il
| the railroad world in regard to rates. i
| speaking of the pooling arrangement, he said
! that tie city of New York was better serve'
by four railroads acting in unity than b,
| four roads each acting for itself. Owing t
| the bad faith of many roads the pooling sys
| tenn had never fulfilled its nilsson. II
| thought there were too many railroads i
the country 1t was too easy a matter 70
a lot of gentlemen to get together after
| dinner, lay out a railroad, draw up tn
| charter AMI blossom out as a corporation
Under the law as it should be, no roa
should lie built unless its proPrietors coul
satisfy the commissioners that there W;
need of such a road.
Senator Platt asked what ought to be dor
with corporation, in Tevas, for instanc
which has capitalized its stock, far in exec
| of the actual cost of the road
Mr. Blanchard replied that no road shou
be built without first submitting its fnanci
purposes to the commission, which he hop~
| to see established.