San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-06-02
BALTIMORE AND OHIO JUMPED
ON BECAUSE 1T DID A
GOOD BUSINESS.
Other Roads All Hop On 1t When
They Discover 1t To Be The
Under Dog In The Fight.
Matter Will Probably
Be .Arbitratei.
New York, June 2.-The Herald today

New York, June 2.-The Herald today
says:
The Joint Traffic association, through
committee consisting of President
Thompson, of the Pennsylvania and
President Depew of the New York Cen
trail railways, has succeeded in bring
ing sufficient pressure to bear on the
Baltimore & Ohio to stop the cutting
of freight rates and prevent the threat
ened dissolution of the association. The
committee. held a conference with re-
ceivers of Oscar c. Murray and j. X.
Cowan, of the Baltimore & Ohio COM
pany at the officers of the Joint Traffic
association in this city last night.
They were authorized to use any pow
er that was necessary in order to adj
lust the situation. The 3. & o. was
the aggressor in cutting rates but as
receivers were not party to the as
ISOLATION agreement 1t was difficult to
reach both, because of the company
being in the hands of the court and Is
not supposed to be party to pooling
arrangement, and because of the Su-
preme court decision holding that all
| traffic agreements similar to the
| Trans Missouri association are Illegal.
Ever since the receivership the Bal
| timore & Ohio officials have been ac-
| tive alone in securing as large tom
| mage as possible regardless of the per-
centage to which the company is enti-
| tied under the pooling arrangement.
Its share of west bound freight is 40
per cent and actual tonnage carried
by it during the last three months is
said to have averaged nearly twice
| that amount, the loss being chiefly on
the Erie and Pennsylvania roads. The
receivers made the excuse that they
were not members of the association
and that thy could not be held to the
agreement that bound the former man
agement of the company. The other
companies answered this claim by say
ing that if it came to a scramble for
business the b. & o. would be COM
PEELED to carry traffic at a loss and the
result would be disastrous to all con-
cerned.
The discomfort among the trunk
lines became so great at the alleged
unfair advantage taken by the B. & o.,
because of it's being in the hands of the
court, that it resulted finally in the de-
mand being made by certain of the
other companies that there be an adj
justment of tonnage or rates so that
they have a chance to make up their
losses.
Still others suggested a settlement in
money as the only way in which. the
competitors of the B. & o. would ever
be able to even up percentages. But
this, of course the courts would not
sanction and the suggestion was drop
ped. What other influences were
brought to bear have caused the re-
ceivers to agree to conform to the ex-
listing rates without being members of
the association, have not become
known, but nevertheless the result was
a surprise to everybody. Several 9TH
er companies. charged with cutting
rates had stated at a recent meeting
that,if the B. & o. would restore rates
they would do the same.
The Generalization will therefore be
ended. The tonnage remains to be
adjusted according to the amount for
merly allotted under the pool. The
b. & o. claims that II has shown its
ability to get more business when it's
equipment is in proper condition and
the receivers made bid for a larger
share. This, however, the committee
appointed to deal with the receivers
had no power to grant.
The matter will probably go before
the arbitrator.