Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-13
RAILROAD POOLING
Discussing Proposed Interstate
Commerce Amendments.
MEN INTERESTED In TRANSPORTATION
An Important Meeting in This City
Held Today.
SOME PERSONS PRESENT

SOME ERSONS PRESENT
There was an important meeting this
morning in the rooms Of the interstate
commerce commission of men from all parts
Of the country who are interested in the
matter Of transportation, and who also be-
lieve In the harmonizing Of state and fed
eral legislation in the regulation Of the bus
mess Of common carriers. At the conven-
| ton Of railroad commissioners held in this
city in May a report was adopted urging
| the appointment Of a committee Of five
members to confer with representatives
from the national board Of trade. the Ma
| tional Transportation Association, the in
terstate commerce commission and other
transportation interests regarding amend
ments to the interstate commerce law.
The meeting was called by Mr.. E. P. Will
son Of Cincinnati, the chairman Of the ex-
ecutive committee Of the National Trans
portation Association. The rooms Of the
commission were well filled this morning
with q representative set of prosperous bus
mess men. who believe that public trans
| portation Is q matter Of such public interest
that 1t should be surrounded by certain
| limitations. and should come under the au-
thority Of some tribunal provided for by
Congress.
| Up t. the time Of the appointment of the
| interstate commerce commission there were
| no restrictions placed upon the public car
riers Of the country in the matter of
charges and rates.
1t was to consider this and also the pool
ing privileges Of the railroads that the
! meeting IL now being held in sthis city, and
| the Patterson bill, now before Congress,
making certain amendments to the inter-
state commerce act came up for consider
| able attention. The meeting was called to
order by Mr.. W. s. Young as temporary
chairman. A permanent organization was
effected by the election Of the following off,
GERS: President. Alden Speare Of Boston;
| vice president. D. r. Francis of St Louis
and secretary, Mr.. E. A. Moseey. secretary
| or the interstate commerce commission.
| Those Present.
Among those who were present this morn
ing were the following: VIM. NJ. Ayers,
Trades League Of Philadelphia; d. c. Ball,
Merchants Exchange Of ST. Louis; w. G.
Bishop. Baltimore Corn and Flour Ex-
change; Jerome Carly. Manufacturer Club
OF Philadelphia, and general counsel of the
National Transportation Association; Chas
Rhia; John J. Curley. Union Committee on
Transportation; D. P. Erwin. Indianapolis
Board Of Trade: John Field. Busi-
ness Mems Union Committee Of Phila-
Of Trade. ST. Louis; Walter F. Hagar
| Union Committee Of Philadelphia
| Explaining the Bill.
| CHARLES p. Hatch. general transportation
agent Trades League of Philadelphia; Jas
j. Hooker. Cincinnati chamber Of com
| merce; N. q. Iglehart, commissioner Chi
| cago freight bureau; c. N. Osgood, mer
chants exchange OF st. Louis: J. H. Pad
| dock OF Springeld, ILL.,; Alden Speare rep
| resenting a number Of commercial bodies
| OF Boston; Charles E. Wheeler. chamber OF
| commerce Of st. Louis: Oscar l.. whitelaw
4 Nnrfa tNDy. -
| Wilson. Cincinnati chamber of commerce
| VIM. y. Young, Baltimore corn and foul
exchange; John L. Rodgers and T. Barline
| Han. Baltimore corn and Hour exchange
tee on the part Of the convention of state
railroad commissioners.
Explaining the Bill.
Mr.. Wilson. the prime mover in the meet
| ing. made a brief address, in the course Of
| which he said that the object of their
| gathering was to secure an expression of
! opinion from representatives Of commercial
| interest throughout the country looking
to the securing Of needed amendments to
| the interstate CONNIE cree law. He spoke of
! the provisions Of the Patterson bill now
| before Congress as having the approval of
the majority of the commission as lawyers.
In It an amendment is presented lesalizing
| contracts between railroads in matters of
| rates. 80 that these contracts or agree
| ments can be lived UP to and properly en-
| forced. The discussion which followed this
address showed that the bill meets with
general favor and support from all the in
terests concerned. Upon motion Secretary
| Moseley was called upon to read the re-
port OF the House committee on interstate
and foreign commerce. recommending the
adoption OF the measure
President Morrison Of the commission was
called upon to explain the workings Of the
bill. He stated that in its present form 1,
| did not meet with his entire approval
There rlo NJ
| who consider that the railroads should be
| run by their owners and officers just az
any other business would te On the other
hand. there are people who think that the
railroads should be subjected to the most
| rigorous supervision on the part Of the gov
eminent. Between these two extremes all
shades OF opinions have their followers. So
the members Of the commission were not
OF one mind, either. In his opinion, IL the
| advantages to the public arising from COM
petition between railroads were given up
the whole matter should be given into the
hands OF the commission. As for himself,
he believed that IL pooling were allowed al
All 1t should be under conditions and limi.
taficns laid down by the authorities
sion, who has been active in drawing un
tne measure that Is now before Congress-
was also asked to address the meeting.
he said that 1t would be obviously out OF
place for him to speak in its defense hut
In the absence of the members of the Houas
committee, who had been asked to he nres.
| ent today. he would speak briefly Of the his.
torical evolution Of the bill. The bill Is not
exactly to his liking. either, in all it's pro
visions. Still, 1t Is one that has received
very thorough consideration, and his pres.
| ent opinion was that 1t is the only measure
that they were likely to get through Con.
gress this session. If any attempts were
made to seriously and materially alter the
| bill as 1t now Is 1t would result in sending
| 1t back to the committee, and this wouIS
| prevent 1t from becoming a law at this Con
gress. As for the so-called pooling pnovt.
sion. he had always considered the nfth
section OF the bill as inconsistent with the
purposes and objects of the original law
passed in 1887. Yet he realized that the
only practicable method of doing away
with the Determinations that are now made
In the matter Of rates is to allow the rail-.
roads to make agreements among them
selves which can be fully observed.
The matter Of the restrictions to which
| such agreements be subjected IL a very i'm
portant one, however. It will be a ire
mendous power to place in the hands of the
commission. There should be some cor
receive upon such a power in the hands Of
nve men to utterly overthrow Contracts
made between the railroads. The necessity
Tor such corrective Is recognized in the bill
where the roads are given the right to have
the decisions Of the commission reviewed
by the courts and this right Of appeal Is OF