Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-12
LoNa-srAND1Na PROBLEM.


ALONG-sTANDING PROBLEM.
The agitation of the commercial inter-
ests of Pittsburg for better freight rates
and the somewhat unfavorable attitude OF
the railway people toward it repeats his
tory. Necessarily in city whose busi-
| ness depends on the transportation OF
| freight in greater masses than any other
city of the country the freight question
| will always be vital one. By applying
the experience of the past to the present
situation we may get good deal of valu-
able light
1t is worth remembering that the COM
plants against freight determinations dur
ing the '7Os were received by railway au-
thorities with the same unfriendly spirit
as now. The allegations of injury to
Pittsburg's industrial position and OF in
justice to individual enterprise were
waved aside as imaginary and unfounded.
That they were not unfounded was
proved by the fact that when Pittsburg
secured an approach to railroad competi-
ton her industrial leadership was i'm
mensely increased. In the year before
the construction of the Pittsburg and
Lake Erie Railroad this city produced
one-sixth of the iron and steel of the
country. After five years of moderate
competition in 1883 it produced one-fifth
of the nations product. While the city
was enjoying the second expansion due to
the natural gas era railway competition
was succeeded by railway combination.
Now, that we have lost in great measure
both factors, the need of improved trans
portation rates is as pressing as it was IA
years ago.
The history of the freight question in
Pittsburg proves two or three things very
conciusively. The first of them is that no
lasting OF general improvement in railway
rates can be expected until the railways
have to give it This can be recognized as
a necessary law without inficting indi-
vidual odium on the railway officials 1t
is inevitable that railway man charged
with the duty of securing the greatest
possible earnings for the company should
be slow to perceive the necessity of re-
ducing rates to encourage business. 1t
may he more far-sighted to recognize that
the most lasting prosperity for the railway
can be secured by stimulating the growth
of the industries that furnish it traffic
This is one OF the principles that Pittsburg
railway men ought to be able to rec
ognize. The Pennsylvania Railroad
actually gained traffic by the estab-
,ishment of railway competition in
Pittsburg But experience demonstrates
that this species of far-sightedness is only
1>,- ho
of a legitimate and stable competition.
The only way to bring the railway COM
panies to a realizing sense of their interest
in cultivating Pittsburg traffic by favora-
BILE rates is to establish new and per-
manent competition in transportation.
This would point directly to the sug-
gestion already made by one of our busi-
ness men, namely, the building of new
railway-if it were not for the difficulties
The first is that all the railway approaches
to Pittsburg have been so jealousy taken
up that it would be difficult for new
road to reach the city. The second is that
any new road must sooner or later seek an
alliance with one or the other of the trunk
lines, and thus fall into the control of the
combination which now maintains the in
equalities complained of. The way for
Pittsburg to solve the question completely
is to create new class of competition be-
yond railway control, and founded on a
stable basis. The only way to do that is
for Pittsburg TO turn its energies to the in
crease of our water transportation.
In the improvement of the Ohio river
and the construction of the Lake Erie
Canal the final solution of this difficulty
is to be found. Il would at once secure
an immense reduction in the cost of what
NAV be termed the fundamental freights
of Pittsburg's interests-iron ore, coal and
pig iron. 1t would exert an immense sec
ondary influence on all classes of freight.
Even the traffic unsuited to the canals
and rivers would receive benefit from
the necessity which the railways would
have of seeking the higher classes of
freight when the waterways were carry
ing the lower classes. Such an element
of competition would extended itself
throughout the entire transportation in
terests; and the experience of the early
SOS would be repeated by the railways
earning actually more profits from the i'm
mense expansion of Western Pennsylva-
MIA traffic which this competition would
create.
Pittsburg's business interests can secure
the opening Of these waterways when
they realize the Importance of united
action for that purpose. When they unite
to do so the solution of this long-standing
problem will be but question of time.
HOW IT LOOKS NOW.
Now that the election is over it is inter-