The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-23
RATESTO BE RESTORED
Presidents of All the Trunk Lines
Pledged to That Effect.
Freight Tariffs Will Also BE Maintained
in the Future, and New Pool
Put Into Operation.

II. 9. Parker, traffic manager of the Lake
Erie & Western. returned yesterday from
Chicago, where he had been in attendance
on meetings for a couple of days. Mr..
Parllers states that in his railroad career
be has never known more determined
effort to restore east-bound rates and then
maintain them than the one now proposed.
The president of every trunk line and of
the roads in the Central Traffic Association
has pledged his road to restoration and
absolute maintenance of rates on and after
April 1. AS far as pledges go nothing more
could be desired, and as the trunk lines
agree not TO participate in rates with any
Western road which does not live up to
the agreement and a determination Is ex-
pressed to prevent the roads in hands Of
receivers disturbing rates by refusing to
participate with them in reduced rates. the
trunk lines certainly have the key to the
situation. 1t is thought the formation of
something in the nature OF pool will
greatly strengthen the roads in maintaining
rates after they are restored The agree
ment is not on the principle Of old-time
pools. being rather a restriction of traffic
agreements. The whole thing will be in the
hands OF a committee whose main duty will
be 70 decide when road Is running ahead
of its rightful proportion OF tonnage. This
committee will then order such road TO
restrict its traffic, as provided by the east
bound freight pooling agreement. and it
officials 10 get more revenue from business
carried that all will fall in line and for
once give such a plan n fa!r test This Is
the only plan which the roads could adopt
that would evade the anti-pool section of
the Interstate commerce act sufficiently to
receive the cooperation of roads I'm the
hands OF receivers, which is a very i'm
portant item. No evening-up is to be done
by payment of money or tonnage TO an
other line. The road which runs ahead will
simply refuse to accept certain business
until 1t falls back in tonnage to its proper
position. The order to restrict tonnage.
under the agreement, may be a verbal one
from the committee to the president OF the
road, the president In turn TO instruct his
superintendent TO temporarily loan or lease
certain cars. and not scrap of paper will
be In evidence to prove the existence of
the semblance of a pool. 1t is proposed to
have the east-bound pooling agreement in
operation as early as April 10, that IL may
aid In the maintenance of rates at tariff
when they are restored. In freight circles
the fact that the roads I'm the hands of re-
cetVers are favorable TO this arrangement
Is looked upon as strong point. At the
meeting In Chicago IL developed that one
OF the lines had been carrying grain from
Chicago TO the seaboard at 1219 cents per
loo pounds, and there was not a road which
had been strictly adhering to rates for the
last sixty days Freight men take the posi-
ton that the present is a good time to put
the pool i'm operation, when the tonnage is
light and the weather favorable to handling
A dispatch from Chicago says that the
Eastern lines, with the exception OF the
Wabash and the Lehigh Valley, have be-
come parties TO an agreement providing
for the restoration of all passenger rates
and the cessation of all commissions on
March 81. Any road violating the agree
ment will be fined $4,000. and this will be
collected by process of law, If necessary
Commissioners of the associations are la
boring with the Wabash and Lehigh Val
ley, and they are expected to Join the
agreement within short time.
The Western passenger lines, at their
meeting In Chicago yesterday, made no
progress towards restoring the rates be-
tween the Missouri river and Chicago. but
the Atchison road was present during the
earlier portion of the meeting and for a
time 1t seemed as though the Atchison and
NORTHWESTERN would agree. but when the
meeting reconvened after lunch the Atchi-
son man was not In evidence and after
waiting for him two hours, the meeting
A telegram was received late Wednesday
BY several OF the lines which sent Joint
telegram to the Union Pacific asking its
cooperation in raising rates west of the
Missouri river, which occasiOned great
amusement. 1t was signed by Il. l.. Lomax,
cific, and stated that the Union Pacific was
much pleased over the friendly feelings en-
itertained for it by the Chicago lines; that
IL was anxious To have the rates restored
and concluded: I've have given individual
notice of the restoration of rates from the
Missouri river to California" Before this
message was cold another came from II
ii. Payne. assistant general freight agent
OF the Union Pacific, declaring the first
nleSsage had been sent through error II
had been given to a stenographer to hold
anu the stenographer had let il slip. The
lines were requested to consider the first
message Cancelled. The general opinion is
that between the sending of the two tele-
grams the Northwestern had requested the
of II.
The Alleged Vanderbilt Scheme.
Drexel, Morgan & Co. are not trying to
get the Louisville Southern for the Rich
nond Terminal system much as for the
Chesapeake az Ohio road, says the Louis
Vile Commercial The Cincinnati Southern
Is so far removed from the main system
that 1t cannot be considered a part of the
Richmond Terminal The leading Southern
bondholders know this, but they do not all
know. or even suspect the extent of the
scheme now foot. The VanderbiIts are
backing the syndicate that Is backing the
reorganization of the Richmond Terminal.
50 far this reorganization has any back
ing under the modified plan. The Wander
bits own the Baltimore & Ohio and the
Chesapeake * Ohio The Baltimore & Ohio
runs into st. Louis. Thence the NJ X &
T, which is controlled by the Vanderblts
runs TO Texas, connecting about one hun
dred miles west or Houston with the South
ern Pacific. the private property of c. Z.
Huntington. Drexel. Morgan & Co. are
now reOrganizing the Air Line of the Mack
ey system. with view to putting it in the
Vanderbilt system As soon as this is ac-
cOmplished the Chesapeake & Ohio will
only lack the Louisville Southern. The
Chesapeake * Ohio now runs into Louis
vile. from Lexington, on the Louisville *
Nashville tracks. The acquisition of the
Southern would bring IL into Louisville by
a route twelve miles shorter than by the
Louisville q Nashville 1t is perfectly plain
that Drexel, Morgan * Co, who are mere
~ agents OF the Nanderbits, want the
Southern. but they want IL as cheap pos
sible. Should they force the road TO a fore
closure sale the Louisville & Nashville
might gather II in and this would force the
Chesapeake 4 Ohio 10 use its tracks or
build third line from Lexington to Louis
willie that would cost s.. 900 TO 81. 500 900
and never could be made To pay. The Lou
isviile Southern is. therefore, a necessary
part OF the great Vanderbilt Chesapeake 4,
Ohio transcontinental system Such Is the
stOry told by the Louisville paper.
A dispatch from New York. however,
says that neither John u. Rockefeller nor
William Rockefeller have been in the South
west as reported, i'm the interest of an ex-
tension of the Vanderbilt railway system