Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-19
MEETING THE CANApIAN ROAD

MEETING THE CANAPLAN ROADS.
The Burlington g. Northern has SHE'D
| the castor into the railroad ring and
has taken the only step possible to force
American lines, both east and west, to
| make joint tariffs and rates as shall en-
| able them to compete with the Canadian
| and lake routes on an equal footing.
| The sweeping reduction in freight rates
| announced by the Burlington & North
ern in the meeting of the Western
| Freight association, at Chicago, is
| likely to create revolution in the
| transportation rates OF all western
| roads. The claim is made that the cut
| is equal to q reduction of seventy-ive
| per cent based on the present schedule,
| and is defended on the ground that
such a reduction is necessary on the
part of the Burlington 81 Northern in
order to meet the competition of the
Canadian and lake routes.
| There is little question but that the
| Burlington's influence will be felt far
and wide. Its peculiar position makes
it a formidable rival to the trunk lines
where it is able to dictate terms and fix
| freight schedules. Draining as it does
| the Mississippi valley in Iowa and Min
nesota and operating between Burling-
ton and Minneapolis on the one hand and
Watertown, Dakota, and Cedar Rapids
on the other, the Burlington 81 North
ern can make such alliances both east
and west as to make it dangerous. Its
power has been felt before and no road
| is in position to brook it's enmity with
! out being made to suffer severely. The
| present situation of the Burlington g.
| Northern from the confession made to
| the Western Freight association ap-
pears to be desperate. 1t is
| obliged either to retire compl letely
from all traffic competition with
the Canadian and water lines,
or engage permanently in that traffic
| at such rates as it will yield in compe-
tition with them. Having no lines to
| lake Superior, nor a short cut to the
| northern frontier, its territory has been
invaded by the allies of the Canadian
| roads to it's detriment, but one course is
open to it, and that is to fight the Cana
| dian roads with their own fire.
1t remains to be seen what action will
| be taken by the other roads of the
Western association. 1t already ap-
pears that some of the weaker lines in
the same position as the Burlington G.
| Northern have taken sides with that
road, and there is little question but
| that the trunk lines interested in this
traffic will join hands with
= nf fxya
per cent from the present
schedule, if such it be, whatever
it may signify to the railroads will
| benefit the cities on the Missouri river
and place them on an equality with
Minneapolis and st. Paul and the cities
| which enjoy the low tariff rates of the
| water routes.
| There is possibly another incentive
| behind this new departure on the part
of the Burlington road. 1t may be an
adroit move to head of the
waterways convention which has been
called ut Sault Ste. Marie to
demonstrate against any interf erence
| by congress with the free
and untrammelled competition by Can
adian railroads with the trunk lines Of
| the United States. These Canadian
railroads operate lines between Que
bee, Montreal. Buffalo, Boston, Detroit
and Chicago. These Canadian roads own
lake steamers that connect directly
with their system and enable
them to successfully underbid American
roads for heavy traffic. Their American
competitors must either meet these
rates or procure relief through con-
gressional Intervention. The Burling-
toms move may therefore be pre-
liminary step towards forcing their
rivals in the northwest to join 1t in a
concerted effort to secure spsedy relief
through the national legislature.