The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1889-08-08
THE ROCK ISLANDS POSITION.

+. = q -. I.
General Manager st. Johns Reply to the
Statement of Alton Officials.
From Chicago Times. .tasE
ueneral Manager st John, of tho Chicago.
ROCK Island u Pacific road, authorizes ths
1ouowing statement in reply to assertions
recently recently made by, ice:President J. q.
MSM9i I'm OF tho Chicago 4 Alton in pub
Mr. McMullin, in a recent published inter.
view, has clearly defined the present nosi-
zion ana policy of the Alton road II in
20 insist ON through rates being made on a
basis that . VIII give to it fair Share Of tho
points west OF Kansas City. He illus
trates his meaning by citing shipment of
live stock from Topeka on the Rock island
road through Kansas City to Chicago.
, Upon such shipment the tariffs of ali The
through rate somewhat less than the
sum or two locals This practica wns
IN accordance with well recognized min.
c!Dles OF rate making as universally ilrac.
ticed by carriers, and has been approved
ny tne interstate commerce commission.
Wnlch IN recent case used the following
language: AS through rates are made bv thu
American system OF roads, agreed percent-
ages OF the total rate, considerably less in
amount than the local rates of roads recoiv-
Ing such percentages, are usually a leading
feature, and it is eminently proner IA =
general rule that this should be 60 = :
Commerce and trade require it and comma.
tition compels it. Such rates. when reo.
sonably and fairly adjusted to local bust
ness, are greatly favored in the law. be-
cause they furnish cheapened rates and
greater facilities to the public, while Mt the
same time they give Increased emplov-
ment and earnings to larger number Of
carriers
I'm the rates as adjusted heretofore
upon livestock traffic from points in Kan
1~~1i
Kansas City to Chicago, the difference be-
tween the sums of the locals and the
through rates was an entirely reasonable
difference, and the tariffs in question were
precisely upon the line of the resolution
which Mr.. McMul]in quotes approvingly
poses to get what he calls y fair share of
the tariff by reducing the local rate from
Kansas City to Chicago to the amount of
the proportionate rate between these
points charged by the Rock Island On tho
through shipment
This statement is certainly candid jlis
line has no extension west of Kansas CITY,
The Rock Island has He proposes to make
the latter divide with him traffic which
originates upon the extension that it has
will do by reducing the established .a:.,
from Kansas City to Chicago. This declara-
ton follows his announcement at the COM
mcnccment Of the same interview that tho
ALTON does not cut any rates; IL only reduces
when necessary to meet cut rates of other
roads Yet the Alton has just forced a
large reduction in all rates onl live stock und
products from Kansas City to Chicago in &C.
cordance with the policy above stated.
Naturally and inevitably when the Alton
reduces its rate from Kansas City to tho
d vision of the through rate charged upon
tn. lines where the livestock Shipments
OF innate those lines must meet the reduc.
ton in the local and at the same time re-
duce their through rate correspondinglv.
This Is necessary for their preservation:
they will not think that they can reasona-
bly, be asked to cut their lines in two for
the benefit Of the Alton, nor can the latter
Justly expect them to surrender traffic
which they have constructed long lines O:
road to secure. This step will apparently
involve a new reduction by the Alton to
the level OF the new proportionato rates.
and tho process will be repeated until all
| the lines are doing business at loss md
somebody surrcnders.
''The association has no desire to punfhl,
the Alton for it's withdrawal nor for any
thing else. Action necessary for the pro
tcctfon of it's lines against the Atoms raid
will probably DC taken, however"