The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-05-25

aAANAAAN y :
The extent to which pooling has been
considered by legislatures, trade bod
IA state railway commissions and In
dIviduals. and the changes In the 9pln-
ions OF important persons and CONNER
clal, bodies, constitute important tes'l-
mony in the railway behalf
The culom committee OF 1885 espe-
cIaIly considered pooling. and Of one
hundred and Gorty-nlne persons whom
Il questioned. torty-two favored pooling
generally, twenty-siN favored iegallzed
pooling. forty-one pools with legal and
other restrictions and no witness offer
"a any acceptable substitute. For these
reasons that committee reported IN 1880
at would seem wiser 60 permit snch
agreements rather than by prohiDltlng
them to render the enforcement anu
maintenance Of agreed rates impraeti-
Further: THE committee does not
deem II prudent to recommend the pro-
hIbitlon OF pooling" and THE ostensl-
Die object OF pooling Is In harmony win
the spirit of reGul1tiVe legislation.
StIii further: THE majority Of the
committee are not disposed TO endanger
Che success OF the methods OF regulation
proposed for the prevention 81 unjust
Determinations by recommending the
prohibition OF pooling"
The law that committee hrSt SUD-
mItted therefore provided:
sad Interstate Commission shan eS.
peclally inquire Into that method OF
railway management or combination
known as pooling, and report 10 Con-
rZress what, 81 any, legislation Is ad-
visable and expedient upon the sub
senator cullom says that Judge Rea-
gan, % Texas. then chairman OF the
house committee OF commerce mainly
defeated this majority OF witnesses tae
conclusions OF his committee ana the
ieFaNEation OF pools proposed In the
act reported Judge Reagan went
thence to the United States senate, and
having thereafter become a railway
commissioner OF Texas, he frankly
aFurther study has caused me to be-
lIeye thai the NTH section may be
amended so as to benefit the railroads.
and the people by allowing the rail-
roads 70 enter into trattie Arrangements
With one another"
have as frankly changed their views
are Hon. Charles s. Smith. late presl-
dent OF the New York chamber OF COM
Toeree: Hon. Simon StCrne. the counsel
for the New York board Of transporta-
Eion against the railways OF New YORK
Ne Smith said: Pooling certainly
has some good points for shareholders
and the public: II does prevent TO some
extent unjust Determinations; It aims
Mr' sterne said of pools: They have
brough; about change for the better
from that which prevailed before the
pooling arrangements were made
Prof. AtVvatsF's Endorsement.
Professor Atwater, OF Princeton. de-
scribed pools as agreements among
railways "Ior each TO accept as Its
share OF the competitive business at q
moderately remuneratlve rate common
to all what shall be Judged to be its
Just proportion by an umpire or board
selected by them to make the appor-
tiOnment."
commerce commission was promptly d.
rected to this subject. and their itrst
annual report said: The scheme OF
DoolInc rates or the earnings from trat-
&c was devised and put in force
as a means whereby steadiness IN rates
TUNENk De LlullkAlIlEhs AAAN a4AAAN - ~ :
further said: The scheme was one
which was made use OF In other coun-
tries, and had beef found of service to
She F,oads:" and Z" the absolute
sum OF the money charges exacted for
transportation, II not clearly beyond the
bounds OF reason, was OF inferior I'M
poFtance in comparison with the OBJ
faininG OF rates that should be open.
equal relatively Just as between places
and as steady as in the nature OF things
In iSS5 the railway commissioners of
Kansas said:
asincs the violent conHlctIons Of rates
consequent on rate wars between rival
lines result usually in discriminatiVe
dement's TO q few at the ultimate eK-
pense OF the public, means should be
taken to at least moderate this disturb.
INF element to the business Interests OF
the country. As means to this end
we venture 10 suggest that contracts
ar Agreements between rival companies
10 carry on interstate traftic upon COM
mon rates, providing those rates ore
reasonable and Just, should be Invested
with O LEGAL status and be enforceable
with appropriate sanctions,
The average rate for freight In that
year Was 1905 per cent per ton per
mile. Il was S39 OF one cent In 1885,
or but so per cent as much.
Judge Cooley said: THE aVowed
purpose IN pooling Is TO avoid ruinous
competition between the several roads
represented and the unjust dlscrimina.
tion between shippers which Is found
invariably to attend such competition.
So II may therefore be taken as
agreed that. 50 far as pooling arrange
Fnents have the correction OF this sub
feet In view, the purpose Is commend
able" He said further: without the
aid of the law TO enforce pooling ar
fangements It II not vet apparent that
any scheme can be devised whereby the
cutting Of rates can be enectually pre-
vented" He said in an address delly-
cred to the Boston Merchants Assocla-
tion, January 8, 1859: 'The old pooling
was never so harmful as some persons
supposed, and was probably condemn
cd by law more because OF what II was
feared II would become or might become
than because OF what II wns." He also
eaId to convention OF state railway
commissioners In Washington, May 20,
1890:
at may seem altogether proper that
the government should make, or permit
10 be made. some provision whereby the
comparatively feeble road may be sup
pnFted, not entirely by the resources OF
the district which II serves, but to some
extent, also, by a tax upon the business
or resources OF other roads. a provision
10 this end Is not uncommon"
ENDORSED by SIR. Adams.
Charles Francis Adams said: The
practice known as pooling which the
Intergtnta commerce net lnhlblts was