Evening star., 1897-04-27
A NEW FREIGHT ASSOCIATION
Representatives Of Southern Roads to Meet
Here.
An Agreement Prepared for Sigma
tures of the Omcfnls-POwers
of the Executive Board.

The most prominent of all the general
officials Of every railroad in the south,
cept the Seaboard All Line and its atiil-
lated companies, ana representing every
state south of the Polomac and east of the
Mississippi river. will meet in this city to-
morrow, for the purDos. of forming Ine
Southeastern Freight Association, which is
to be the successor Of the Southern States
Freight Association. officers OF the latter
will then be elected and an agreement
signed under the TENS of which the asso-
citation will be managed. The jurisdiction
of the association will cover all matters
relating to passenger as well as freight
traffic
The agreement for the new association.
which, it is understood, will be signed by
all present at the meeting, prcscribes thai:
For the purpose of inierchanging au
thentic information in regard 10 the tariffs
of the respective bodies, members of this
association, for consultation and mutual
advice in regard to the relsonableness of
tariffs and the publ city of the same. aid
TO aid in fulfilling he purposes of the law
Of the states and of the United States af-
fecting commerce; especially with n view
of preventing illegal AMI unjust discrinina-
tons between persons and localities, or
kinds of traffic, and other lines as
may become parties hereto, hereby agree
TO form an association to be called the
Southeastern Freight Association.
1t is provided That the territory Of the
association shall be The same as that here
tofore under the jurisdiction of the South
ern States Freight Association, and that
the traffic subject to its rules shall be all
business for which two or more parties
hereto compete having origin Of destination
within the territory.
1t is further provided that the business
of the association shall be governed by an
executive board. but that this executive
board shall have no power to bind the
members of the association to observe any
regulation in restrain of trade" The ex-
ecuttve board Is to be composed of tn"
president, vice president or general man
ayers of the companies, members of the
association or any officer may be fully em
powered to represent any member therein.
Besides the executive board there Is to
be a conference committee, which will con-
sist of duly accredited traffic officer OF
each company. Each company reserves al
ways the right to take independent action
on any subject, but agrees that any change
IN rates, rules or regulations affecting the
traffic within the territory of the associa-
ton, proposed to be made by any company,
snail be submitted to the conference COM
mittee by the company proposing to make
such change for consideration and ex-
change Of views at least three days before
the same shall take effect.
Ore of the most important features in
the organization OF the new association is
that it is made the duty of the chairman
to discourage reduction in rates by re-
Ddte OF OraWDack, or by payment OF CON-
missions, or by urder-biling weights or
by any illegal device whatsoever and upon
Complaint that such practices are being re-
sorted to must make investigation
thereof, reporting the result to the execu-
tive board. No party is to be permitted to
withdraw from the association before the
expiration of one year from May l, 1897
except by unanimous consent 1t is still
further provided that the rules governing
the filing of freight tariffs with the inter
state commerce commission shall apply as
to filing all tariffs with the chairman.
Another very important provision is tha;
nothing contained in the articles of agree
ment Shall be SO construed as to estaD-
nsh or otherwise affect rates oil freight
trdfnc, and 1t is made the duty of the eX-
ecutive beard to exercise the pCwe;. con-
lerred upon it as to discourage and so
Tar as possible prevent q violation of the
interstate commerce act or of any other
federal or state law applicable to com
merce or the provisions of the charter of
any of the parties hereto. The executive
board is required to report to the federal
and state commissions any reduction in
rates by any Illegal device whatsoever, IN
order t" prevent unjust discrlmina tions be-
tween persons and localities or kinds of
traffic
The agreement is to become effective Nav
!, 1897, AMI continue in force until MAY
l, 1885, and no change can be made in
the articles of the associa ton except by
the consent Of each member of the execu-
tive board.