St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-07
Western Association Affairs
Alleg ed to Be Unsatisfac-
torily Handled.
No Spe cif1c Complaint, but a.
General Grumble Of Dis y
pleasure. u
Important Sections Of the
OAgreement Said to Be Ig- 81
nored or Evaded. j.
Rules Held to Have Been
Poorly Enforced in Ger :
tain Instances.

CHICAGO, July 6.-There is consid er
able grumbling in Western traffic circles
On account of the alleged unsatisfactory
manner in which the affairs of the
Western Traffic association are admin
istered. No direct complaint is made
against Chairman Walker or any other
Individual member of the board of COM
missiOners, but it is declared that the
boards actions have not always been
such as to promote the interests of the
railroads in the association.
For instance, there are two impor-
tant sections of the agreement that are
apparently ignored or evaded. Section
l of article Z requires the commission
ers to adopt such measures as will tend
to secure uniform. stable and reasona-
bic rates. prevent unjust discrimination,
and enable each line to carry it's fair
share of the competitive traffic. The
seventh section of the same article
makes it the duty of the commissioners
to establish bureau for the collection
and preservation of such information
and statistics as may be necessary to
enable them to execute the powers
conferred in them.
A traffic official said today: Had the
rules of the Western Traffic association
been carried out by the commissioners
there might not have risen the necessi-
ty for the reduction in rates to and from
Colorado, of which the Rock Island and
Burlington have given notice. This re-
ductiOn amounts to about SO per cent on
all west-bOund traffic from the Missouri
river, st. Louis aud Chicago, and 80 per
cent OH ore and bullion from Colorado
to the East. There was no question
about the condition Of the bullion traf-
fic; the lines making the transit
rates admitted the fact. The commits
siOners did not give the non-transit
lines relief by diyerting traffic, as it was
their duty to do, neither would they au-
thorize the reduction necessary to
place all lines OH an equality.
AS to west-bound rates, the matter
has been agitated for several months.
Certain lines have been complaining
that they were not getting what they
considered their proper share of the
Colorado tan traffic. The commission
ers heard the complaints, but did not
satisfy the lines by diverting traffic
to them OF by telling them
they were already getting their share.
Consequently Colorado rates will drop
NOOuu PSA SCHt 1tIS, IL Is
claimed. will have serious effect on
the lines interested in that business,
particularly as there is no probability
that these rates will ever be put back to
their present basis. 1t is further
claimed that the commissioners do not
investigate supposed violations of the
rules. without formal complaint being
made by SONS company, which must
furnish the evidence and prosecute the
defendant. If the charge is then proven,
a subordinate must be discharged. and,
knowing the result, whether violations
are willful or technical, the roads will
OF make complaints. ~ .
The commissioners have not estab-
lished the statistical bureau as provided
by the rules. and have no way of know
ing what each line is doing except as
they get information from auxiliary as
sOciations. 1t is argued that if men,
bers knew what percentage of traffic
they were entitled to, and knew that
diversions would be promptly ordered
by the commissioners, there would be
no incentive to rate-cutting, and disas-
trous reductions might be avoided.