The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-11-24
IT WILL HURT THE WEST
STEAMSHIP AND RAILROAD LINES
COMBINE TO RAISE RATES.
An IrOnclad Agreement is Made by
Which All I'm mmig ration Will
Be Controlled.

NEW YORK, Nov. 2O.-The agreement
which has been entered into between the
railroads and Atlantic steamship lines for
most far reaching of all combinations of
the kind that were ever organized in this
country.
In the first place it takes in not only all
of the transatlantic steamship companies,
but the coastwise lines extending as far
south as the Gulf of Mexico and north to
Halifax, thereby rendering it impossible for
rates to be demOraliZed SO far as the ocean
companies are concerned.
Furthermore all of the trans-continental
well the Western and trunk lines are
parties to the agreement, which provides
for the payment to the steamship COM
panieS of 10 per cent commission on all
steerage passengers turned over by the lat
ter to the railroads.
One of the ticket scalpers chief sources
Of revenue is now cut Off, and the railroads,
the country over, agree to turn over a fat
commission Of 10 per cent to the steamship
companies by virtue of the latter refusing
to have any further dealings with outside
agents. 1t means an end to decentralization
and a tightening of the screws all along the
line
One Of the most significant results Of the
deal is the decision to advance immigrant
fares from New York and other seaboard
cities, such as Boston, Philadelphia Balti-
more and Newport News to the west be-
ginning Dec. Is. The advance from New
York to Chicago is from $13 to SIS. Boston
is to have differential Of 81, the rate from
that city to Chicago being $14.
1t is well known that there is more profit
in the transportation of immigrants than
any other class of passengers, owing to the
fact that the poorest cars are generally
used for this service, and it is unimportant
whether the trains travel rapidly or slowly
The fact is recalled that a number of years
ago, during war Of rates between the
trunk lines, the Pennsylvania Railroad car
ried immigrants for 81 apiece from New
York to Chicago.
The ground upon which the steamship
companies allege they are entitled TO u
commission of 10 per cent is that most CT
the steerage passengers are brought over
here through the influence OF their agents
in the west and Europe and consequently
the railroad companies are indebted to the
steamship agents for this traffic. 1t is in
the power of the steamship companies to
turn this business over to any one railroad
and thus discriminate against all of he
others. as they have sometimes done in the
past.
The initiative was taken by the Western
Passenger Association, which has been the
leading factor in the struggle with the
outside agents, trunk lines and steamship
lines that has been going on for many
years. For long time the leading ticket
agents were able to influence two or three
Of the Western railroads so that it was i'm.
possible to make any iron-clad agreement
The trunk lines in future will route all
immigrant passengers destined for points
beyond the joint traffic gateways according
to the instructions given by the representa-
tive Of the Western lines. The Canadian
Pacific and Southern Pacific which have
been the chief disturbing factors to previous
combinations, have signed the agreement
and they enter heartily into the new ar
rangement.