The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-17
WHICH RIPS UP THE IRONCLAD
ARRANGEMENTS OF EASTERN
ALL RAIL LINES.
TWIN CITIES SECURE RATES
SOUGHT DAY AND NIGHT FOR
TWO YEARS.
BIG SHOCK FOR THE TRUNK LINES.
An Act ON the Part of General Mama
ger Underwood of Untold Bene-
fit to ST Paul.

If persistent effort brings it's reward,
the Joint Traffic association of St. Paul
and Minneapolis, composed Of the
wholesalers and big shippers, have
cause for the biggest jubilee they have
had in, perhaps, ten years.
They have hammered down the rates
to the Twin Cities from the seaboard
to point which establishes them once
more on the old footing of supremacy
over Chicago and Eastern jobbers. The
500 line is entitled to a lions share Of
the credit for the move, which Is
destined to throw the Chicago-St. Paul
lines and the Eastern trunk line man
ayers into paroxysms of agony and
fright.
1t is plainly to be seen that the
independent and loyal stand Of the
500 line toward it's patrons Of the Twin
Cities will Immediately precipitate a.
rate war, which will have some SEN
sational features before 1t is ended.
But the back of the 500 line is up.
General Manager Fred Underwood. Of
the 500, has sent his def to the trunk
line and the other similar associations
and announces that he will stay in the
deal for all time to come. Hence it is
scarce wonder that the Twin City job
bers yesterday held a grand jubilee.
In a nut shell, the 500 will on Jan.
rs reduce the rate on all classes Of
freight from the Atlantic seaboard and
New England points to the Twin Cities,
and the new basis will be $1.O5, or 140
per cent of the present Chicago rate,
IN q nc
existing rates on a basis of $1.35 The
thing is not temporary either. The 500
yesterday announced to the jobbers
that it would stand by the rate and
continue 1t in effect in spite of the
opposition Of all the other railroads in
the country. The new proportional
tariff will be via the Canadian Pacific
Dispatch and the 500 and connecting
lines out of New York. The schedule
which was arranged by the 500 yes
terday and which will be placed in
effect Jan. 25 will be as follows:
From New York and New England
points to Sault st. Marie, first class,
65 cents; second class, SIC; third class,
44c; fourth class, SIC; fifth class, 26c;
to st. Paul or Minneapolis, first class,
40c; second class, 34c; third class. 26c;
fourth class, 18c;c fifth class, 16c; sixth
class, 13c. The totals of these tariffs
from terminal to terminal show the
following f1gures:
First Glass; 81. .05.
Second class. 91c..
Third class, zoe.
Fol rth class, ACC.
Fifth class, 42c.
Sixth class. 30c.
This shows a very great reduction
over existing rates, and, when the news
is received in the offices of competing
lines and trunk lines, there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. The re-
duction over existing rates can be seen
by the following schedule of rates
now in effect. The first class all-rai;
rate now in effect via Chicago is 81. 35,
with the other five classes as follows:
$1.15, 80 cents, 60 cents, so cents and 43
cents; the differential rates are 81 ,25,
$1.07, "a cents, Sc cents, As cents and 40
cents, which shows a reduction Of 80
cents on 100 pounds on arbitrary rates
and 20 cents on differentials.
The Importance of the cut cannot
be estimated at first glance, for only
the johbers, who import thousands of
tons of freight annually from the East,
know what a hardship the present rates
have been. The Trunk Line association
always did have it in for the trade
Of the Twin Cities. They realized what
a tremendous factor the st. Paul job
bing interests were getting to be, and
the disastrous effect the. concerns were
having on similar enterprises in the
East. The trunk. line mana gers said
that the Twin Cities were a. blot on
the map and they would wipe it off,
The 500 placidly replies Perhaps
you will and perhaps you Won't
The reduction of the rates will bring
down the prices of commodities re-
tailers and tradesmense- IT. will make
/ prices lower, sales, bigger and, there
| fore, profits heavier.
For eighteen months the TWIN City
Joint Traffic association has tried to
have the rates reduced, The ;assoeia-
ton is composed of the heavier ship
pers in the two cities,--and. is an ad
junct to the jobbers' unions of the two
cities. The chairman of the association
is E. A. Young; of the large st. Paul
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