St. Paul daily globe., 1892-11-18
POOLS TO Be FORMED
Trunk Line Presidents Make
an Agreement to End the
Traffic Scre mble.
The Plan Agreed on Is to Form
Passenger and Freight
Pools.
Weaker Lines to Be Allotted
a Certain Share Of the
Traffic.
The Interstate Commission
Said to Be Working to the
Same End.

L
dents of the trunk lines have entered
| into an agreement which, if carried out,
will end most of the warfare between
the companies. They have agreed that
pool, pure and simple, is the only
| solution of the railroad question, and
| have outlined all the details of the new
compact. This question has hung over
the railroad companies ever since the
interstate commerce act was passed !;
but the plain meaning of the law, they
agree, is that pool of freight traffic, II
not passenger business, is illegal. The
establishment of a pool had always
been regarded as a useless challenge OF
the law; but the situation has become
so desperate that the presidents saw no
other way out of the mire.
The seriousness of the situation
brought together an unusually large at
tendance. The naming Of worlds fair
rates was the ostensible object of the
meeting, but this question was of minor
Importance and was soon settled. 1t
was desired to conceal the real object of
the meeting, namely, the designing of a
pool. President Roberts, chairman OF
the board of presidents, said that it was
clear that the time had come for all
trunk lines
To Act In Harmony.
He was sure that the strong lines were
ready to make any reasonable conceS-
sIons that would satisfy the So-called
weaker roads. If it was simply matter
of the weaker companies getting a GER
tain amount of tonnage. he was ready
for the Pennsylvania to guarantee them
fixed amount.
President Depew, of the New York
Central, echoed this sentiment. TO ac-
compliSh this Mr.. Roberts said that Of
course pool would be necessary, but
the terrors Of the law. he intimated, need
not interfere with the plan. THE bene-
fits that will accrue to all the COM
panies," he SAID, "are manifest. We
shall all get fair recompence for haul
ing traffic, and all antagonism can easily
be removed" A lengthy discussion
then ensued. and the outcome was that
they decided to leave the adjustment Of
percentages of west-bound competitive
tonnage to Commissioner Goddard who
will use the average that each Of the
IOuuS CdILlCu GHO puob Gl1CO
years as a basis.
AS suggested by Messrs. Roberts and
DepeW, the commissioner will allow a
The New York Central carries from 28
to 80 per cent of the competitive west
bound freight, the Pennsylvania from
IL to 20 and the Erie Is per cent or more.
The Percentages
having been allotted, Commissioner God
dard will adjust the present Giherentials,
so that the weaker roads may be better
able to hold their own. In case these
diffeIentials should give the small roads
more traffic or less traffic than they are
entitled to, the commissioner will be
asked to make a new adjustment.
To enable Commissioner Goddard to
suit all the companies as far as possible.
an agreement that has been signed by
all the presidents and authorized repre-
sentatiVeS provides that each company
shall have hearing before the commits
sioner before he fixes the percentages.
After the allotment, if any company is
dissatisfied, it may appeal to Aldace F..
Walker, as an arbitrator, whose declS-
ion, with MIR. Goddard's concurrence,
will be final, Mr.. Walker is chairman
of the Western Traffic association and
eX-interstate commerce commissioner.
East-bound freight traffic will be treated
similarly to the west-bound traffic later
on.
There is already plan for distribut-
ing passenger traffic, but 1t has been
practically imperative. First and sec
0nd class traffic are divided by percent
ages. and at the end of certain periods
adjustment is made by diverting immi-
grant business. The presidents will
give orders to have it enforced to the
letter. 1t is claimed that passenger
pool is not illegal.