New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-06-22
RILL ND WlIER RITF4.


The elaborate Interstate Association 81 Rail
road Presidents. which was Sonn months Ill
process If Incubation and from which results
Of incalculah.c importance TO tn" Who'll" ra'Ir"ad
world wcrc anticipated. has lasted about SIX
months. 1t would b" 10" much 10 say that 1t
is dead Tho distinguished Commissioners who
consented to leave tho United states Commits
son and small salary I'm order To take charge
Of the Presidents Association at n largo sal
Any will doubtless continue To earn his COM
pcnSlton hy doing the best he possibly can to
promote harmony. Clerks will be kept, AMI
records, and al organized ASSOCIATION will be-
q convenient agent in a controversy between
the companies. But those talked som" sense
who said before this association was formed,
that it would he useless to form il ut all without
cOnsrnt Il the Chicago and Alton To join aId
the power II the concern 10 regulate rates -
obviously rather different, now that th" Chr
cago and Alton In, Withdrawn and promulgateS
a tariff Of is own.
Freight rates n" getting back again, nearly
or quite to th" lowest of last year in many quar-
ter, and the dispatches indirat" clearly thai III"
dcmoIa ilation is spreading. In 1888 th" aver
age on the Eastern trunk lines WAS probably
about / OS # a cent per ton per mile, and on
Western limos about 800 Of a cent per ton per
mile. the latter being lower than in any previous
year. whilo on Eastern lines the rate was lower
in ono year only, averaging 1876 OF Il cent in
1885. Assuming that the two records repro
sent about equal proportions Of III" great rail
way interest il may be said that the cost Of rail
tran Sp prtatiUn was on the whole little lower
last year than in any previous year, but for
neatly half Of l569 has been about % per
cent higher
Tho freight receipts Of all railroads amount
to about $500. 600. 900 yearly. hut tho wars
of rates and the agreements Of Northern trunk
lines have not controlled charges for trans
portanon on the Piuciiic Coast, on most Of tho
Southern, or Now England or coal-carrying
roads About half the entire transportation Of
the country is affected, for which the yearly
charge must be about $500. 600 900, and the
half yearly 81 $50, 600, 900. II D per cent has
been added 10 the revenue Of all these roads
for six months, which is supposed to be about
the fact then the presidents agreement has in
creased the cost Of rail transportation 10 tho
public about SIS 900, 600 during the six
months Of it's existence, and tho renewal Of
competition in tho old form threatens 10 pub
back tho charges for the remaining six months
to about the level Of 1888, the lowest ever
recorded. Instead OF an average OF 3.271
cents per ton per mile In 1865, the competition
of railroads with each Other has reduced the
average charge to about .815 Of n cent, or mob
more than u quarter Of the former rate and
after q hopeful effort OF six months, tho Presi-
dents Association fails longer to secure tho
better rates desired
Too many railroads, Of course, but some
thing moro than that, Transportation by lake
and canal, and even by ocean, has been reduced
quite AZ much One Of the reasons why the
railroads cannot hold together in any advance
of rates IL that they are subject to constant
competition from the water routes, and tho
new propellers on the lakes and the steam craft
on the canals have made the old rates an i'm
possibility. The charge by lake and canal in
1855 averaged 26.6 cents per bushel on wheat,
and in 1885 it averaged only 88
| oents. not one-ousrter rs much. and