The herald., 1897-10-20
WESTERN
OFFICIALS
Struggling With Questions
of Freight
NO GREAT PROGRESS is MADE
AGREEMENTS ARE MADE ONLY
TO BE BROKEN
For the First Time in Many Years the
Transcontinental Lines Agree on
Emigrant Business
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
CHICAGO, Oct. 19.-The traffic offic-
ials and executive officers of the western
roads held another meeting today for
the purpose of seeing if something could
not be Done to bring about the with
drawal of all unauthorized freight tar
west from Chicago have been in state
of demoralization and this in the face
of very heavy business. The reasons
for the trouble are many, each road hav-
ing several OF its own and. one or two IN
common with other lines. The chief rea-
son is that the southwestern roads have
been making strong efforts to divert the
traffic to new channels, and they have
in a large measure succeeded. The
western lines have been compelled to
meet this competition and they have
met it by cutting rates. 1t was found
impossible for the meeting of today to
make any great progress toward the
restoration of rates, but the executive
officials say that they will make every
effort to have the rates restored within A
short time.
The situation in western passenger
rates shows no sign of immediate I'M
provement ard the chances are that
Chairman Caldwell of the Western Pas
serger association will find it necessary
in the near future to call meeting Of all
the interested lines for the purpose Of
seeing that the agreement entered into
by the western roads some time ago for
the maintenance of rates and the non-
payment Of commissions is kept. Prac-
tically every road that agreed to stop the
payment of excessive commissions is
now paying them just the same as at
the time the agreement was made. The
settlement of the troubles between the
Oregon Short Line and the Union Pa
cific has not stopped the payment OF the
large commissions onnorth Pacific coast
business, nor Is there any probability
that they will be discontinued In the
near future.
But for the first time in many years
the transcontinental railroads have en-
tered into an agreement covering imml-
grafton business.
The Southern Pacific and the Canadi-
an Pacific Railroads have agreed to
Join the Western roads in dealing with
the steamship people direct. The steam
ship companies are to deliver their i'm
migrants to the western immigration
clearing house, maintained in New York
by Western lines. The commission
which Western lines have heretofore
paid to the middlemen are to. be paid
direct to the steamship companies, in
consideration of which the railroads
are promised control Of all the traffic.
Trunk lines will pay their commissions
to the steamship companies and their
clearing house will route the business
to connections with Western lines. The
acquiescence to these conditions by the
Southern Pacific and the Canadian Pa
cific was a surprise to Western passen-
ger men.
For years these two lines have stood
aloof from the others and by reductions
of fares and the payment Of big COM
missions have kept their competitors in
hot water most of the time.
THE VALLEY ROAD
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 19-The pur-
chase of a wrecking car and pile driver
was decided upon today by the board of
directors of the San Joaquin Valley
Railroad company. Contracts were also
let for stations at Clauston and Cutter,
and for fourteen section houses along
the line of the road from Stockton to
Hanford. The way is now clear to
Bakersfield, as today the deed of the
last right of way remaining, from ]. M.
Talbot of Sonoma, was handed to the
company by S. c. Smith of the citiznes'
committee of Bakersfield. The matter
Of the station site at that town will be
determined tomorrow.
The Southern Pacific is also consid-
ering the advisability of establishing
station in Bakersfield proper.
A NEW LAND RULING
LARAMIE, Wyo., Oct. 19.-C. E. Want
land, Land Agent Of the Union Pacific,
has said that hereafter purchasers OF
land, from the Union Pacific Company
would not only be compelled to stand
good for all taxes after purchase was
made, but clause would be put in the
deeds making purchasers liable for any
taxes that might be due at the time of
the transfer
THE TICKET AGENTS
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 19.-Delegates rep
resenting nearly every railroad COM
pany in the country were present at
the forty-second annual convention of
the American Association Of Passenger
and Ticket Agents, which met at the
Southern hotel at noon today for three
days session. Dana ]. Flanders Of the
Boston and Maine presided, and A. ].
Smith Of the Lake Shore acted as Sec
retary. The annual address was de-
livered by p. S. Eustis. general passen-
ger agent of the Chicago, Burlington and
Quincy railroad.
VAN WYCK ACCEPTS