St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-08-24
Interstate Commerce.

| ASSOCIATION FILES A COMPLAINT BEFORE
THE COMMISSION AGAINST THE CHICAGO
AND ALTON ROAD.
There has been filed with the Interstate
Commerce Commission a complaint of the
Interstate Commerce Railway Assn VS.. The
Chicago and Alton Railroad. The petit
ton of the complainant recites that the
defendant was member of said associa-
ton until July 1, 1889; that the defend
ant is competitor for the transportation
of live stock and products thereof from
Kansas City to Chicago with other lines,
members of said association, to wit The
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy and atfili-
ated lines; Chicago, Rock Island and
Pacific Chicago, Milwaukee and St.
Paul Wabash Western; Chicago Santa
Fe and California, and Missouri Pacific
That the said last mentioned companies,
together with the defendant, have united
in the establishment of tariff for the
ansportation of said commodities from
Kansas City to Chicago; that said lines
also aided in the establishment of a tariff
on live stock, dressed beef and packing
house products, etc, from Kansas City to
Chicago. The complaint then outlines
the course of business in the handling of
such traffic, shipments of cattle being
tory by lires reaching the grazing points
aud consigned by the shippers to Chicago,
with privilege, nevertheless, of stops eff
at Kansas City.
The complaint recites that each line
engaged in said traffic owns a considerable
amount of equipment especially con-
structed for this purpose. OF late, how
ever, the transportation of cattle especi-
ally from Kansas City to Chicago has
be en- very largely carried on by the use of
private stock cars of various so-called
| improved patterns, the owners of which
are accustomed to engage shipments by
negotiating with dealers in live stock, and
to collect from the lines hauling the cars a
mileage of three quarters of cent per
| mile run. Such cars are to a certain
extent taken west from Chicago to initial
points and loaded for Chicago with or
without the privilege of the Kansas City
market, as the shippers may desire. One
result of this practice, the complainant
saws, is that the cattle cars owned by all
the lines are now to large extent unem-
ployed It recites that the complainant
is informed that the defendant has leased
forty of it's unemployed cars to the Amer
lean Live Stock Commission Com pany at a
rent of Sc per month.
The mileage upon said cars in both
directions in the ordinary course OF
affairs would amount to at least $12 per
month, affording a profit of at least Sc
per month per car to said 1essees. Com
plainant says that the repairs on said cars
and the services assumed by the lessor in
collecting the mileage earned, makes the
so called rental almost nominal that an
arrangement of this character whereby
the ordinary equipment of a line is leased
outright to shippers, is unusual and irreg-
ular that so far as the payment Of such
mileage is made or participated in by the
defendant in the use of its own cars, any
sum in excess of Sc per car per month
realized by said lessees is in the nature OF
a rebate, and complainant AYERS that the
transaction is device whereby tbs
defendant will receive from said American
Live Stock Commission Company less
compensation for the Transportation OF
cattle than it received from other persons
for like and contemporaneous service.
The pecuniary inducement to shippers
thus afforded by defendant is alleged te
be an unjust discrimination Complainant
is unable to set out the precise terms OF
the contract referred to- and asks that de-
PENDANT be required to make the same a
part of their answer. Complainant also
alleges that the defendant has entered inte
contract of another character whereby
it has contracted with one and all of the
principal houses engaged in slaughtering
cattle and hogs at Kansas City and vicn-
ity for the exclusive transportation of such
shipments for considerable term of years
Such contract with one of said shippers
the complainant alleges, would practically
ha ctob 1iShr AMI Of
The complaint recites that very ma
terial reduction in rates from Kansas City
to Chicago, made July 20, 1889, was forced
upon the other roads by defendant, as is
believed, with view to put the defendant
in position to carry out its obligation
under said contract. Complainant AYERS
that said contract is also in coptraventio1
of the act to regulate commerce in many
ways. The complainant, therefore, desires
an investigation, and an order commanding
the defendant to cease and deslst from
said alleged violations of the act. A com
plant has also been filed by the Chicago
Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad against
the Chicago and Alton.
It alleges that the complainant and de-
PENDANT own competing lines of road be-
tween Chicago and Kansas City that com
plainant also owns lines running west from
Kansas City, called the Chicago, Kansas
and Nebraska Railway. Under tariffs is
sued at different dates, through rates on
live stock from points west of Kansas City
to Chicago were made with the privilege
of stoppage and sale at Kansas City, but
subject to certain conditions set forth in
said tariffs. If the cattle were not sold at
Kansas City, they could be reshippec
under the original through billing.
The Alton Line has local tariffs in effec
from Kansas City to Chicago which are Of
were greater than the proportion Of
through rates received by it for the same
services on live stock brought from West
ern points to Kansas City and there sold
The Chicago and Alton has insisted upor
the right to carry such stocks to Chicago
at the proportion from Kansas City from
the rates named in the through shipment
and has protected through rates on sucl
traffic by paying local rates tothe western
lines to Kansas City and taking for its
compensation for the transportation to Chi
cago the remainder of the through rate.
The complainant contends that defen
dant has no right to declare and make it.
self party to the joint rate, when it il
not actually party to such a rate, anc
charges that by so doing the Chicago anc
Alton violates section six of the act to reg
ulate commerce by charging less compen.
sation for it's services than are specified il
its published tariff of rates and charges a
the time in force.
Daniel Bennett the agricultural edito
of the New Orleans Pacny1ae, says: "W'
had the pleasure lately of visit from Mr.
Cary from Southwestern Louisiana, at GU
home near Brookhaven The Iowa ant
other Wastern nennla have reuolntinnize1