The Indianapolis journal., 1893-10-09
RATE WAR PROBABLE
Competitors of the Big Four Rail-
way May Retaliate.
The Latter Charged with Slashing st.
Louis Grain Rates-LOcal Freight
Traffic Increasing.

East-bound freight rates from st. Louis
are on the verge OF decentralization. Lines
competing with the Big Four charge that
the latter is putting grain into Liverpool
for less than q cents from the Mississippi.
General Freight Agent Hibbard, of the Van
dalia. had conference with Pennsylvania
line people last Friday at Columbus, O.,
concerning retaliation, and arrangements
are said to have been made for early
announcement OF competitive rates unless
the Trunk Line Association puts a stopper
on the Big Four. Among other charges
said to be current among Big Four competi-
tors Is that two heavy dealers from Bal
timore and one from st. Louis are in the
Western grain belt paying high prices for
corn for export. This grain is rushed
through St. Louis to the seaboard by Big
-Four lines at cut rates All the lines-the
Rock Island, the Union Pacific, the Missouri
Pacific and the Santa Fe-get share Of
this. The Rock Island carries the grain
into Illinois. where the Kankakee Dispatch
takes it, They are rushing things while
the opportunity lasts, as the restoration OF
peace on Eastern lines at war and the pos
stble action of the Pennsylvania Will stop
this cutting.
Freight Traffic Increasing.
The train records show that 740 more
loaded cars were handled at this point in
ending Sept 30, but comparisons with last
year are still unfavorable. The Peoria &
Eastern and the Lake Erie & Western are
the only lines which did not share in the
increase of last week. A study of the sit
uation shows that in east-bound business
there was no Improvement, in fact less
grain was shipped than in the week ending
Sept. 30. and the shipments of live stock
vypr uyi1f in t-ho Hlf ct
ness some increase was shown, but wholly
in the higher class freights, the through
lines not yet feeling the effects of the start
ing up OF some of the iron interests in
Pennsylvania and Ohio Last year at this
time iron structural work for county
bridges. buildings and railway supplies Gre
is moving of this class of freights. SO far
as anthracite coal is concerned for Indian
apolis lines it cuts but little figure. Com
ing TO local business, with some roads an in
crease was shown last week. About the
Panhandle, the G, II. & D. and the Big
but the volume OF business has by no means
reached a point where increasing the num-
Der OF platform men and working over
time Is the order of things. as had been the
case in the corresponding months for many
years past There is feeling among
freight men that business from this on will
improve, but all have gotten well over be-
lieving it will reach. I'm the next ten months,
the volume OF years past. The large guam
tity or cereals now In store and the corn
crop are the basis of this belief on the part
OF the freight men. they being confident that
It will move, even at present prices, with
in the next few months. The shipments
OF live stock to this city will now begin to
Increase. Thus far the local packing houses
have been obliged to depend largely on hogs
and cattle shipped here from quite dis
tance. but the business from now on is
likely to take on a more local character
Below is given the number of cars received
and forwarded at this point for the week
ending Oct. z. as compared with the cor
responding week Of the two preceding
years: