St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-12
Eastern Trunk Lines Engage
in a Cut on Freight
Rates.
All Roads in the Pool Engaged
Except the Grand
Trunk.
Iowa Rates Will Come Down
If Minnesota's Don't
Go Up.
A New Line For q Lumber
Outlet From Eau
Claire.

New YORK, May 1.-THE Eastern
trunk line railroads began to cut freight
rates yesterday. They have started in
by reducing live stock rates from Chi
cago to New York from 35 to 25 cents
per 100 pounds. The meeting that ended
in the adoption of this cut rate policy
was the liveliest that Pool Commissioner
Fink'S Office has known in many a
month. All the railroads in the trunk
line pool were represented except the
Grand Trunk. The absence of the
Grand Trunk was because that road is
guilty of the particular offenses that
have precipitated this new war. Man
ayers of the Pennsylvania, the. New
York Central, the Lake Shore, the
Canada Southern, the Michigan Cen
trail. the Erie, the Lackawanna, the
West Shore-all but the Grand Trunk
were on hand, and everything was full
of fight. The meeting began at II
O'Clock, and it did not adjourn till
O'Clock in the afternoon. But there was
not minute, all The hours through, that
had not plenty of interest in it. Charges
and cOunter-chargeS occupied much of
the time. There was not road repre-
scented that was not accused by some
other road of cutting rates on the sly,
did not frankly admit that the charges
were true, each offender being content
to answer each accuser, "Well, you've
cut, too" Before yesterdays meeting
began, much bad blood was shown in
conferences held at the Windsor hotel
and in Wall street for informal discus
sions of the situation. The Vanderbilt
interests were solid for heroic treatment.
The New York Central was in favor of
cutting the 65-cent dressed beef rate at
one dash down to 90 cents. and the
Pennsylvania talked of prospective 10
and 15-cent tariffs. 1t was with views
like these i'll vogue that the meeting
opened. But before long came a tangle
that spread out good deal further than
the dressed beef question, and general
crosSfire of charges and cOunter-charges
began, in which the Grand Trunk was
not one whit more the defendant than
any of the other trunk lines. The re-
suit was that finally, after much talk
had been listened to, it was voted that,
for the present, dressed beef rates
stock rates should be cut down from 35
to 25 cents. The effect of this
reduction is that it gives to live
stock shippers of the West rate,
which, it is declared, will enable them
to compete with dressed beef in this
market, even when brought at the
Trunk cut rate. BY failing to cut
dressed beef, the New York Central.
pennsylvania and other roads still in
the trunk line pool, practically drive
the dressed beef traffic over to the
Grand Trunk, while keeping the live
stock traffic to themselves. 1t is thus
revival of the old war, in which these
lines is figured as backing the live stock
magnates against the magnates of the
dressed beef interest. Inasmuch as
the main object sought by the dressed
beef people in getting the cut rate over
the Grand Trunk was to have the live
stock shippers at a disadvantage, it is
probable that a drive will be made at
once to get its 45-cent rate still lower,
though all the opponents of the Grand
Trunk insist there is not penny in the
business, even at 45 cents. Yesterdays
meeting adjourned without anything
like the usual pledges being given to
maintain rates.