The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1886-12-23
OPPOSED nv MIR. FINK.
A"e Ho"'odd Commissioner Not Pleased
wan the Inter- State Commerce Bm.

me holtrodd Commissioner Not Pleased
"th tie Inter- State Commerce Blu.
New York dispatch: The Wall Street
Daily Ledger prints the views OF Commits.
sioner Albert Fink. chief OF the railway
pooling system, on the interstate commerce
bill in congress. Mr.. Fink says:
Ha pool is formed to extort unreasona-
BILE charges it is illegal. But when it is
formed for the purpose OF maintaining uni
form and reasonable tariff to all shippers
and prevent unjust discrimination and
iuctuating rates. which is the object of
every pool now existing, it is in the public
interest and is, in my opinion, the simplest
-and most practical means by which the
proposed law OF congress to prevent unjust
discrimination can be carried out. II the
bill is passed making the change for the
short haul the same as the long, it will rev.
'olutionize the whole tariff OF the country.
1t will stop competition between the rail-
ways and waterways. 1t will deprive some
roads OF traffic and probably throw it
upon Others. The shorter lines will obtain
the business. The tendency will be to in
increase through rates and reduce the iacil-
tiles generally for through traffic. The ef-
feet on the business from New York to
Memphis and New Orleans will be an Illus
tration. The rail rates to these points are
regulated by the water rates and are very
low. The railroads could not afford to
reduce rates to exterior points in the south
to the basis OF Memphis rates, and would
therefore have to go out OF the Memphis
business. All water rates are not con-
trolled by the bill. All rail and combined
rail and water rates are. Water routes
would therefore ~monopolice most of the
business for which the railroads now COM
pete, and in the absence OF that COMPETE
ton they would be able to exact higher
rates than they do now. There are some
features OF the bill that / approve. | am
in favor OF the publication of railroad tar
lis and their strict maintenance without
favoriGism. This office was established by
the voluntary action of the railroads to
accomplish these results in the absence Of
governmental control or support. If the
government can enforce the maintenance
ofst ariffs there will be no need for pools.
But do not think it is practicable.
The difficulty in the whole problem is the
establishment of proper tariffs. and no pro-
vision is made for that in the bill. If each
road is at liberty to make its own tariffs
there might be n hundred tariffs for the
same service, and if the government at
tempts to maintain those tariffs it would
legalize unjust discrimination instead of
preventing it. If congress would leave out
Of the proposed conference bill the clause
affecting the long and the short haul, and
prohibiting pooling, and give the rest of
the bill a trial, it would De proceeding in a
more statesman-like and sensible way.
Further legislation-if any is required
could be left to future consideration The
experiment which it is now proposed to
make, if the bill passes, will be Il very ex-
pensive one, and lead to so much dissatis-
faction that it will bring into permanent
discredit all efforts by legislation to regu-
late transportation tariffs.