The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-21
POOL IS 4 POWER
NEW COMPACT COVERING MIMI
GRANT BUSINESS 4 FAR REACH
ING AFFAIR.
THE LINES ARE ALL IN 1T.
FORMER DISTURBING FACTORS
PARTIES TO THE AGREEMENT
NOW IN FORCE.
THE LINES ARE ALL IN IT.
AN ADVANCE IN RATES PROPOSED.
Two Dollars to he Added to the Fare
Between New York and
Chicago.

NEW YORK, Nov 20.-The agree
| ment which has been entered into be-
tween the railroads and the Atlantic
| steamship lines for the regulation OF
immigrant fares is the most far reach
ing of all combinations of the kind
that was ever organized in this cOun-
try In the first place it takes in not
only all of the transatlantic steam
ship 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 COM
panies are concerned. Furthermore,
all of the trans-cOntinental as well as
the Western and trunk lines are par
ties to the agreement, which provides
for the payment to the steamship COM
panies Of ten per cent commission on
all steerage passengers turned over by
the latter 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 demorali-
cation. and a tightening of the screws
all along the line.
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 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 ironclad agree
ment. The trunk lines in future will
route all immigrant passengers des-
tined for points beyond the Joint Traf-
fic gateways according to the instruc-
tions given by the representatives OF
the Western lines. The Canadian Pa
cific and Southern Pacific, which have
been the chief distributing factors to
previous combinations, have signed
the agreement, and they enter heartily
into the new arrangement.
One of the most significant results
Of the deal is the decision to advance
immigrant IdIeS LIOul 4NSW IOlA G1iiNi
other seaboard cities such as Boston.
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Newport
News to the West, beginning Dec. 10.
The advance from New York to Chi
cago is from $13 to SIS. Boston is to
have a 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
il is unfmportant whether the trains
travel rapidly or slowly. The. fact is
recalled that a number of years ago,
during a war of rates between the
trunk lines, the Pennsylvania railroad
carried immigrants for 81 apiece from
New York to Chicago.
The ground upon which the steamship
companies aIlege they are entitled to
a commission of 10 per cent is that
most of the steerage passengers are
brought over here through the 1nt1u-
ence of their agents in the West and
Europe, and consequently the railroad
companies are indebted to the steam
shin 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
ali of the others, as they have some
times done in the past.