The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-04-04
IN THE RAILWAY WORLD,
The New Agreement of the South
western Traffic Committee,
PACIFIC EXPRESS COMPANY CHANGES
An Amendment to tho Interstate Com.
mcrcc Act Proposcd-Sew sleep
Ing Car-Finshes.

The meeting of the executive board OF
the Southwestern Traffic committee. com.
posed of the chief executive officer of
each part to the agreement. will be called
to order in st. Louis on Monday for the
purpose of final revision, and adoption
Of the agreement drafted at the New
York meeting. Should an understand be
reached. and there is every probability
there will be, the board of administration
will be selected at this meeting
The reorganization or the re-establish.
ment of the old Southwestern Traffic AS
ISOLATION on firm and substantial basis
is greeted with delight by the railroads,
and this free slashing of rates and secret
shaving of schedules must cease. The
lines party to the agreement have not
only pledged themselves to a strict main
tenance of tariff schedules, but the terms
of the agreement provide for forfeiture
of 5000 for the transportation line found
guilty of violation of the compact
The unsettled condition of affairs In
Southwestern territory for some time has
made the necessity for an association On
some what different lines from those thai
have been in vogue almost uniformly In
the different territories throughout the
United States The purpose of this new
agreement is to have board of admin
istration, composed of representatives oil
every party 10 the agreement, that Will be
IN continuous session at the association
headquarters in st. Louis. This board
Will have control of rates, rules ana ieeu-
lattons governing the traffic subject to
the agreement
While the selection OF this board of al
ministration has not yet been made, 1t Is
expected the election of the members VIII
take place at Mondays meeting. 1t Is
understood that the board Will be com
posed Of seven members. representing thc
different interests as follows; On" repre-
sentative each for the Gould lines, HUNT
ington lines. Missouri. Kansas and lcNaS,
ST Louis and San Francisco, Atchison
system, Rock Island and the Cromwell
steamship lines. The members OF ms
board viii be selected by the various in
.terests. and one party may. by agreement
represent two or more companies IL sa.,s,
factory to them. but every party 10 'i.e
agreement will be represented nnaiIy anu
fully on the board OF administration ny
representative of its own selection
The first order of business before thls
board will be the hearing OF compIalh.s ~
discrimination in favor OF or agaihs, u,
dividunls or communities, which they
have the power to Immediately correct.
With a strict maintenance of scheuuIss
calls for, the outlook for Son,nwesseln
roads Is very encouraging. With rate
firm and every road on AN equity !" o wa
competition for business. merchan'S , a,',,
SINNERS have nothing to worry t hri
minds outside the securing of orders. Trey
know that the rates quoted are scheuuie,
md v,ithout a possible show of cut III
s s,,u issO the merchant is able TO stock
Ills store without fear of his neighno 'F
holding off a few days and placing MS
order at freight rates low enough 10 a'.om
His seilin,. his goods at less figures than
his ccmpctitor who paid tariff rates .lssaS on
several hundred dollars worth ' Of sbin rSsps
IN, i,n,nefijatrlv under a maintenance
n'i ,ar,fr rate by the railroads and bust
n ns w Win necessarily brighten up. me
few shipments Of the past msnae lev of the
rrspt,ri,, sbinned. Orders have been with
l hsls nw s cut in rate or in aniiG,
,,etcn of IA periodical disturbance amot ~
he roads. which is usually eSpeq'e' W
occur in dull seasons