The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-24
MANY HAVE SIGNED
NEW TRsFFIC AGREEMENT OF THE
WESTERN LINES HAS A LONG
LIST
OF SIGNATURES ATTACHED
LOCAL LINES ARE CONSIDERING
THE PROVISIONS OF THE Pa
PER NOW.
WILL HAVE HEAVY PENALTIES
For Violations of the Pledges Made
by the Members of the As
ISOLATION.

The first draft of the proposed new
agreement between the roads interested
in a new traffic association, hitherto
unpublished, arrived in the city yester-
day afternoon from Chicago and is be-
ing considered. by the different, lines.
The proposed agreement has. many in
teresting features, the details of which
have never until now been made pub
lie. 1t is generally believed that the
sketch is satisfactory to all the lines IN
terested and that it will be adopted
without material change. The outline
is now in the hands of the thirty or
more roads who are likely to become
members. The articles already bear
the following list of roads, who will be-
come members of the association:
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, Chi
cago & Alton, Chicago & Northwestern.
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and its
branches, including the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Northern; Chicago-Great
Western, Chicago, Milwaukee & st.
Paul, Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific,
Chicago st. Paul, Minneapolis &
Omaha, Illinois Central, Iowa Central,
Kansas City, FIT. Scott & Memphis,
Kansas City, Pittsburg & Gulf, Mis-
souri,, Kansas & Texas, Missouri Pa
cific, St Louis & San Francisco, Wa
bash, Wisconsin Central Union Pacific.
Others may join the. association later.
The name of the association will re-
main the Western Freight association.
The articles provide that a working
fund of Sic, 900 shall be created and kept
by the chairman of the association, to
be assessed in accordance with the ap-
portionment made by the new board of
administration. The expenses Of the
association are to be paid from this
fund.
F The association will have control Of
all freight traffic now subject to the
Western Freight association, and the
Trans-Missouri Freight Rate com
mittee. excepting in Colorado and Utah
territory.
The new association, If the lines
agree to the draft, will be governed by
an executive board and board of ad-
ministration. The presidents of lines
composing the association shall COM
pose the executive board, and may des-
ignate another to represent them If so
desired. The board of administration
shall consist of five members to be in
dependent of any of the lines. The
board is to have it's headquarters and
to meet in Chicago and the members
are to give their entire time to the
work, drawing salary therefore direct
from the association. The function of
the board of administration is to con-
troll the rates, rules, regulations and
the traffic of the lines interested in the
association. The board will be charged
with the duty of securing for each
member fair share Of competitive
business SO far as can be legally done.
The above clause is the only portion of
the articles which at all hints of an in
tention to pool. The administrative
board will also determine the division
of rates between members, and be-
tween members and connections, pro-
Vided that they shall not authorize
changes in divisions between proprie-
tary lines or lines owned and con-
trolled by the same interests, and pro-
vided that as regards traffic contracts
at this date actually existing between
lines not having common proprietary
interests. The board Of administration
is to decide the course to be taken with
lines not parties to the agreement
which shall decline to observe rates,
and the interests of the parties so in
juriously affected shall be accorded all
reasonable protection. The association
is expected to work in harmony with
other similar associations. The men,
bers of the association shall first obey
the orders of the board of administra-
ton and then appeal or protest to the
executive board if the action is unsat-
cases of rate cutting, manipulation or
ways be promptly heard. The admin
istrative board will also investigate
cases of rate cutting, manipulation or
violations OF the agreement, and may
require an affidavit from any of the
traffic or executive officers. In case
these affidavits are not furnished with
~, ,fxy doxy Of hafy, INI
the line complained of will be consid-
cred guilty.
The penalties provided are supposed
to be sufficient to keep the members
in line. The forfeits as provided are
not to be less than the gross earnings
on traffic involved in the complaint, as
II extended at standard rates, nor more
than 81, 500 for each offense. The for
feits are to be applied to the expenses
of the association, but the guilty line
is not to share in the benefits.
Members withdrawing from the as
ISOLATION before the limit of the agree
ment shall have expired are to forfeit
their interest in the association fund
If any member fails to observe the
agreement, and shall fail to pay the
forfeit within fifteen days after having
been duly convicted by the board of ad-
ministration, than any other member
has the right to withdraw on thirty
fits interest in the association fund.
The chairman is to have authority to
promulgate changes in rates, rules and
regulations, to fix dates at which same
will become effective, when otherwise
not provided for. -~ slLsq 70
The new association is supposed to
work in complete harmony with the
interstate commerce commission, the
state and federal railway commission
ers and other similar bodies, and is
pledged to observe the laws. The as
ISOLATION agreement, if adopted, will
last until Dec. 81, 1898.
The above is the plan which was ar
rived at by the executives at their
meeting in Chicago and nothing but
brief summary has ever been published
The agreement is said to be the most
satisfactory yet advanced. 1t en-
braces the ideas of the Southern and
the Joint Traffic association and pro-
vides for all contingencies through the
dual board system The executive
board if the court of appeals for all pro-
tests.
JOINT AGENCY BUSINESS