The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-05-10
AMERICAN COMMERCE
The Question of Common Carriers
in the United States.
PLUMMERvILLE ELECTION STEAL.
The Story of the Robbery Indictments Found
Forest Fire FalsehOOds-It was
Brush.

NEW York, May 9.-The Senate inter
.Aate commerce committee resumed work
this morning.
President Roberts, Of the Pennsylvania
railroad testified That since the United
States began to regulate railroads by spe
cial legislation, the latter has been placed
at a disadvantage in competing with those
of Canada. The effect of the Grand Trunk
Eoad, being Independent Of the Legislation
Which affects those of the United States, is
constant menace to the latter.
II don't know that at present that the
Canadian roads do any injury to Ameri-
can commerce, but they are in position to
do SO at any time the managers see fit
What advantages have the Canadian
roads over those of the United States!n
The Canadian Pacific is heavily subsi-
died by the government to encourage the
development of the country. Both the
Grand Trunk and the Canadian Pacific draw
their supplies from England free of
duty
Can roads III the United States be opcr-
ated as cheaply as the Canadian roads:'
There is considerable doubt as TO the
answer to that question"
"What remedy have you to suggest as an
amendment TO the law that would place the
American and Canadian roads on an equal
footingl"
Il think any foreign corporation doing
business should be subject to the same
laws as the roads of our own country. If
the Canadian roads are permitted to carry
trafhc in and out of the United States, they
should be made amenable to the laws OF
course, we could not oblige foreign roads
10 conform to our laws when out of the
country, but while they do business within
our boarders the same law should apply to
both. In fact ] am not sure that foreign
roads should be allowed the privileges they
enjoy in this country, even if under these
coalitions / cannot quite understand
Xy foreign roads should be allowed to go
W and out Of the United States while
foreign vessels are not allowed to do coast
business with this country
Senator G0rman-''There is a move on
foot, I understand, to construct through
line from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast, 10
connect at either END with a subsidized line
Of steamers. its object being to take the
trade that comes from China and Japan and
transport it to the eastern coast. What
chance, in your opinion, do American
roads stand of controlling this trade."
Roberts American roads have the first
call on such trade, ard under equal cOndi-
tions with the Canadian roads could con-
troll it"
Roberts was inufavor of pooling as only
the different roads III the combination
would keep the agreement under the old
system of pooling: certain roads kept part
Of the contract, but other conditions were
violated.
/. BY Senator Blair-''Then is not the true
principle of railroad business combination
rather than competition!
Roberts Hardly. l am IN favor OF fair
competition under proper legislation. If
this could be brought about it would be
much better than any pools
President w. &. Van Horn, of the Cana
dian Pacific, was called. He described the
Canadian Pacific from Halifax to Van
c0uVer, thence by a line of subsidized
stSSIHers to China, Japan and Australia.
THe Canadian roads compete with the
American roads for trade from San Fran
CISCO China, Japan and Alaska and some
of the trade from Ontario to Manitoba
Senator Cullen" What percentage of
your traffic is taken from the United
States!'i
Van Horn do not know the exact
figures. but aside from the coal percentage.
il is very small. The transcOntinental trade
from China, Japan and the western part of
the country which comes over the Cana
dian Pacific is constantly increasing. 1t
gets 10 or l. per cent. of all the western
and Pacific trade
''The impression is general said Presi-
dent Van Horn. that the relations Of the
CANADIAN HaClLC Etdu WIFI inc gov tIDLtuJ
a e exceedingly intimate, but ! assure you
the relations are anything but intimate and
not as cordial or intimate as those between
the Penn vdn;a road and the government
at Washington. Then nearly all our rails
and material come from the United States.
Altogether, we have no advantage Of the
American lines. although labor is somewhat
2lelper with US. A great amount Of our
Goal comes from Pennsylvania and Ohio
and therefore costs US more than it does
your roads,
Van Horn was followed by President and
General Manager Newell Of the Lake
Shore & Michigan Southern. He testified
that his roads suffered severely from the
c{mpetitive practices of the Canadian
ROADS and offered to furnish the committee
with documentary evidence of the unfair
dealings and methods Of the Grand Trunk
railroad in particular, which, he said, was
one of the largest carriers out OF Chicago.
Chairman CullOm accepted his offer.
President and General Manager Ledyard,
of the Michigan Central said his road was
losing business rapidly, by reason Of the
fact that the Canadian roads were practi-
cally free to do as they pleased while our
own roads are governed by the interstate
law.
Ledyard was quite bitter against the
Canadian railroads, and favored special
Legislation against them.