Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-08
PASSENGER RATE WAR.
PRECIPlTATED BY THE CANADIAN PACIFIC
ths History of Rate Cutting-The
Canadian Roads Den.l

San Francisco. March S.--The Cana
dian Pacific has announced that be-
ginning tomorrow 1t will sell tickets out
of San Francisco at the following rates;
To st. Paul. s25 first class and SIS sec
ond class; to Chicago. S365O first class
and $3.50 second class; to New York.
$40 first class and $50 second class.
The rates to Chicago and st. Paul are
new rates. The rates to New York re-
main undlsturbed. The rate war Is
proving bonanza to vessels rum
ming from this city to British Column
bian ports.
on receipt of the above dispatch 1t
was taken by II representative of the
News" to the office of General
Passenger Agent Burley of the Oregon
Short Line. That gentleman had,
however, been Officially notified of the
cut short time before and had just
finished a consultation with General
Passenger Agent Wadleigh of the Rio
Grande regarding the matter. To the
writer NJ Burley said that 1t was this
competition in passenger traffic that
took him and other American railway
passenger agents to the Chicago meet
ing from which he returned yesterday.
The 500. Pacific, to get some of the
trade that was going over the Cana
dian Pacific, announced u cut in rates
between st. Paul and Puget Sound
points, making the fare $50 for first-class
and SO for second class passage. 1t
also announced a further cut to the
Puget Sound country from New York
and Boston of $35 for first-class and
s25 for second-class tickets. Then n
SIS and $50 rate either way. east OF
west from st. Paul to the Puget Sound
country. The Missouri river lines want
cd N h. Arht 10, ha IA
keep 1t out of Colorado, Utah and
California. a rate of $40 was agreed
on from st. Paul to Seattle. Tacoma
and Vancouver, with rebate of $50 on
reaching destination.
But now comes the Canadian Pa
cifc with another cut. which Mr.. Bur-
ley says means war. What the end
VIII be he says cannot be foretold at
this time, though he declares that Is Is a
def to all the American lines and that
1t will involve the latter In a terrific
struggle for business. They. too. he
says. must make further cuts and stay
in the fight until II Is finally settled.
The Canadian Pacific has been doing n
big business for years, much to the
detrfment of the American roads, and
for years these roads have uncom-
plainingly paid the Canadian Pacific a
differential rate of S. per passenger in
order to prevent an utter demoraliza-
ton of business.
THE time has come" continued Mr..
Bailey. when the United States will
have to interest itself in behalf Of the
American lines which are terribly
handicapped by their Canadian com
petitor. We were compelled to go be-
fore the Interstate Commerce commits
sion and ask for a suspension of what
Is known as the long and short maui
clause in orde that we might compete
with the Canadian Pacific without
breaking down our intermediate or To-
cal rates. This was granted and of
course has aroused the Canadian Pa
cific to further aggressive action. 1t
now looks very much as though there
was to be tremendous fight
in which there will be many
participants. But so far as 1t affects
the intermountain West | say let Ii
come because It is sure to benefit Us
Just as the great passenger rate war OF
1856 filled Southern California with
thousands upon Thousands of people
who wonld never have gone there and
become Independent but for the great
traffic contest. At that time trans
for sixty days. 1t was done in this
way.A passenger In New York or Balti-
more, for instance. would buy ticket
for $50, take receipt therefor and on
arriving at his destination on the Pa
Trains ran night and day carrying pas
sengers by the thousands. The rail-
roads lost nothing by 1t in the
long run and California gained
thousands of settlers. SO II win be
with the intermountain West If the
prospective fight continues any great
length of time. Our trains must be
run all OF the time as heretofore and
we will endeavor to get our share OF
the business whatever cut we have to
make. What It will be cannot say Mt
this time, but something will have TO
be done soon for the Canadian Pacific
has upset the calculations and agree
ment arrived at by the passenger
| agents Of the American lines represent
ed at the Chicago conference"