Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-05-08
Pooling Advocated.
Further illumination for the
Railway Problem.
DEPEw SHINES ON THE SUBJECT

ILL IL " SA1NbS YIN lid Oh DJ hOl
He Insists That the Pool Is Indispensable
And Is Backed Up by FELTON,, of the
Erie--Both Desire the Canadian Lines
To BE Brought Under the Law-Felton
Wants Somebody Jailed-A Dominion
Magnate Talks.
NEW YORK, May S.-Chauncey M. Depew
| was the first witness before the senate COM
| mittee yesterday morning. He said that the
| roads doing business in this country whether
Mexican or Canadian, should be made to
| comply with the conditions of the law, as the
American roads must do AT present, he
| said, it was very easy for the Canadian roads
| to get large quantities of freight by means of
| rebates. Pooling" he considered a good
thing and should have been permitted The
| tendency of all roads is to lower freight
| rates, and no amount of pooling" could
| affect this tendency. The interstate COM
merce bill, by making the roads publish their
rates, had given the stronger roads more
business and taken it away from the weaker
| roads proportionately.
Pooling the One Thing NeedfuI.
THE interstate law, " he said, will never
be effective nor operative until in some form
or other you have legalized pool"
Senator Platt-Don't you think it would
| have been better if goods destined to points
within the United States borders had never
been allowed to go through Canadas
Mr.. Depew-If you go back to that, yes.
But the thing is now an existing fact
| In oopoludinn Mr. naoa,rie
| Senator Blair wished to know what would
| be the result of a war between Canada and
| the United States. "Well, it would last Just
two days" said the Central's president.
Grand Trunk Man Testifies.
Mr.. Depew was followed by General Man
ager Joseph Hickson, of the Grand Trunk
| railroad. Mr.. Hickson described his road
and its terminals, and after some question
ing finally acknowledged that the Grand
Trunk road practically controlled the rates
| between Chicago and Portland Their bust
ness i'll the United States the witness said,
| was carried on in accordance with the spirit
of the interstate law, and they make no in
crease in local rates in order to recoup on
possible losses on long hauls.
Millions from the Dominion.
Senator Cullom asked him what assistance
the Canadian Pacific road had received from
| the government Mr.. Hickson said that the
Canadian government had done $37 0O0, 600
worth OF construction work, given $25 000,
900 in cash and $50, 900 900 worth of govern
| ment lands. Mr.. Hickson seemed willing to
answer all questions, but inclined to do so in
his own fashion He acknowledged that the
| foreign trade through Canada from the
United States was much greater than the
Canadian trade through the United States.
| He stated that the Canadian parliament an.
nually voted money to various branches OF
the Canadian Pacific road as subsidies, and
that lines of steamships were yearly subsi-
died by the government
Business Done by the Road.
In 1888 the freight that passed through
Montreal from the western part of the
United States was II ,991 tonnage. The traffic
| that passed over the Canadian line from the
United States to Portland, Me-, amounted to
81, 24l tonnage In reply to a question from
Senator Blair, Mr.. Hckson stated that about
40 per cent of all the business done by the
Canadian Pacific road was due to the United
States. In the northwest, and particularly
| in Michigan, almost all the carrying trade is
done by the Canadian trunk lines.
Another Erie Official.
S. NJ FELTON,, first vice president of the
Erie road, was next put in the box. He was
examined as follows:
Senator Cullom-Do You think that there
should be any legislation to protect American
| roads against the Canadian roads doing bust
ness in the United Statesi
MIR. Felton, do. If the Canadian roads
had TO conform to the American laws the
American roads would gain by it.
Senator GCrman-Can you tell why it is
that certain roads can get freight destined for
Liverpool and ship 1t cheaper than other
roads,
Mr.. Felton-The only explanation can
give to that Is that in my opinion the roads
must have some agreement with the steam
ship companies whereby the railroads make
up to the steamship companies any loss which
they may sustain
Wants Somebody Put in Jail.
Senator Hiscock-In your opinion, have
| the Canadian trunk roads acted according TO
the Interstate law!
Mr.. Felton, think they did when il was
first passed. But like everything else it
grew old and now l can't answer for them
If this commission wish to enforce the inter
state law and maintain its rates, the best
thing Is to put some violator in JAIL then
perhaps all the roads will conform to the
| law
He Favors Pooling, Too.
Senator Harris-You say that you are in
favor of legalization of pooling How
would you arrange it SO that each of the
weaker roads might receive its share of the
profitsl
Mr.. Felton-The best way, in my opinion,
would Toe to give to each road its share of the
| carrying trade, but as the shippers object to
| that the only way to equalize the profits
| would be to settle on a financial basis and
| give each road a share in the gross profits