The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-12


the act of June Is. 1850, creating the organi-
cation was for the purpose of affording. in
respect to passengers and goods traffic, uni
form facilities 'as If such lines had belonged
TO one company" For nearly half a GEN.
fury the railway clearing house has -four
ished and grown with the railways, until to-
DAY every railway company in England IS
q party to this association, and Its head
quarters on Seymour street, Euston square,
has practically become the railway parlia-
ment of the kingdom. To be sure, the
clearing house has nothing to do with the
hiking of rates, either of passenger or goods
traffic. 1t has, however, all 10 do with the
carrying out OF arrangements mace between
different railway companies. In It's passen-
ger department the clearing house divides
or pro rates the moneys due each company
on all tickets issued over more than one
road. In its parcels department 1t not only
looks after the division of receipts between
railways but between the railway COM
panieS and the British government itself,
which employs the railways to carry the
parcels sent by post. In this way, instead
of declaring the association illegal, the
British government becomes an active part
ner in the association which believe more
than anything else has brought up the
standard OF railway companies In England;
and which to-day makes them safe and
profitable investments for the people s
money.
In the same way the clearing house takes
in hand the freight or goods traftlc, as 1t
is called in England, examines the way
bills apportiOns the amount and settles the
balances between roads by clearing house
checks. l made several visits to this great
institution while In London, and upon one
occasion spent nearly day there and found
it a marvel of complicated detail, not UNI
like a permanent census office. through
the courtesy of the secretary Mr.. ii.
Smart, l was given a sample of every blank
used in all the departments, or the claSSl-
fication of freight, of the rules and, in
short of printed matter of all kinds, snow
ing the stupendous work ANNUALLY per per
formed by this combination of all the rail-
ways in the United Kingdom. A comblna-
ton, be it remembered which, until the re-
cent consolidation or amaigamatlon OF rates
acts represented charging powers con-
tanned in 900 separate acts, under Whlcn
over S. 00c go 900 of capital had been raised
and over q 900 miles of railway had been
constructed The work of this association
though not the making OF rates, is or vast
importance to the railways OF the country
the system The clearing house, for exam
pie has full power in relation to enforcing
classification. COMMISSIONS, George H.
Blanchard has repeatedly told us how nee
essary is this power, for fraudulent classl-
fication is to-day one of the serious evils
which honest American railway managers
against Here we have an organization
properly equipped for the work OF enforc.
ing uniform classification; 1unction Oh
great importance. Nor do the minor econ
omes escape the clearing house. It's ON
GERS and agents chase up the empty GOODS
trucks, keep absolute track or passenger
cars and, / am informed, see that 30 per
cent Of them are returned within stlpu-
lated time. So complete is the organization
that account Is also kept OF the CONSIl
or tarpauiins, and even the ropes used IN
tying are followed by the color OF their
strands (each railway having strands IN It's
rope for identification), and ultimately ma
their way back to the company to which
they belong.
EFFECT OF THE SYSTEM.
1t cannot be denied that the association
which has done so much to unity the adj
ministration OF these railway properties
has had its influence upon the general man
agement, and possibly upon the agreements
as to ratesA We have here an organization
created by act of Parliament which prac-
tically makes all the railways of the United
Kingdom, in certain important particulars,
as one railway so far as their relations to
each other and to the public are concerned
In the management of the Railway Clear
ing House each railway company sends a
representative. For years, therefore, the
managers have come together and discussed
interests common to all. In a hundred,
probably thousand, matters of detail they
have agreed to a common system of oper-
alton. These companies, or the men repre-
senting them, are not bound together by an
agreement that the Supreme Court may
some day declare illegal, but by an act of
Parliament that has stood on the statute
books for nearly half a century. Back or
this, comes mutual interest, put rt the
legal tie amounts to something, also. They
are bound together in mutual interest, not
for the purpose of menacing the public IN
terest, but merely to protect In reason
able way the great properties which repre-
sent several thousand million dollars ana
to give the public more uniform, more
equitable and more satisfactory service.
The British public have nothing to fear
from such an organization, nor would the
American public If reasonable safeguards
We're provided and the work legallZed Dy
Congress- A proposition to dissolve the
English Railway Clearing House would be
as wild suggestion as TO dlspand the
British Parliament and let the country run
itself. The intricate business OF tranSpor-
tation, as now carried on, even In country
the size of England, could not possibly De
managed without this institution. 1t has
become part of the system, and the pubic,
whether passenger or shipper, would as soon
think of going back to the days of coach
ing and carriers as to abandon the uniform
ity expedition and convenience which the
work of the clearing house contributes to
the commercial and business interests or
the kingdom. That this kind OF work ult1-
mately leads up to a better understanding
between rival railways hardly admits or a
doubt. We have had an illustration OF the
effect Of this sort of work in the. United
States. The Joint Traffic and other as
socations for the purpose OF carrying on
our railway business have brought so many
of our railway managers together in late
years in friendly conference that no panic,
and scarcely any disturbance, followed the
Supreme Court decision In the tranSmlsSou-
ri case. Under ordinary conditions such
decision would have been the signal Tor a
war of rates and serious railway disturb
ance Whatever may be said of English
railway rates for transportation (and this
will be q topic for future considerat1on)
the managers of the English railways, by
reason of the Railway Clearing House, CO.
operate together to give the public more
efficient and uniform service and to make
prosperous business enterprises out of those
great undertakings Under this system
transportation facilities have been extend
ed quicker service rendered, rates reduced
and traffic developed
ROBERT P. PORTER.