The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-07
First Meeting of the Demurrage
Association.
WAS A MATTER OF FORM
III Report of Agent Sloan Shows
That the Association Has Proved
a Great Benefit to the
Railroads.

~fH
was more a matter of form than for the
consideration of any especially import
ant matter of business, at least such
was the statement of the members. 1t
was stated the meeting was held sim
ply to comply with the rules of the as
ISOLATION. which require two meetings a
year TO be held. The roads represented
were the oregon Short Line. by Gen
eral superintendent +. L. Calvin and
j. a. Reeves. chief clerk of the gem
eral freight department, whose position
is equivalent to assistant general freight
agent: the Northern Pacific. by Assist
ant General superintendent w. q.
Pearce: the Montana Central, by Cen
eral Superintendent f. +. Ward; the
Butte. Anaconda & Pacific. by Superin-
tendent McCabe, and the Great North
ern proper. by Assistant General Freight
Agent Archibald Gray.
The association was organized in
April last for the purpose Of expediting
the unloading and handling of cars and,
according TO the report of Agent Sloan,
which was the principal matter con-
sidered, the association has proved a
great benefit to the railroads.
President J. j. Hill Of the Great
Northern and his party, travelling by
special train. spent an hour in the city
yesterday. Mr.. Hilrs party consists of
c.. 4. Baker, II. w. Cannon, George
Clark and Jacob Schift Of New York;
Samuel Thorn of Philadelphia; Theodore
Schurmeier, DIR. c. e. Smith and ID. A.
Monfort of st. Pau The party arrived
in the city early in the morning, but
did not come up town, and after Presi-
dent Hill has made an inspection of the
local yards the party continued on their
sa,,r,ax .naf n.rAP tho Great NnTthnTn
The ak about consolidating the
Union Pacific, oregon Short Line and
Oregon Railroad IL Navigation COM
pany into one system, as they were be-
fore the panic, and the appointment OF
receivers, will not down. The rumors
concerning the alleged proposed consol-
idation were repeatedly denied. but
the story as often hobs up from another
quarter. The latest story is to the eff
feet that the lines are to come to-
getheT i'm one system under control or
the Nanderbilts, and the Columbia RiV-
er railroad is to come in also and form
the last link of the all rail trans-con-
tinental To the sea, with its terminus
at Astoria. This story comes in the
shape of a telegram from Astoria,
which says:
"A rumor is anoat here that the ore
gon Railway g. Navigation company,
] NIfEtl HilblI i4lllts 'llApl i a Al' anu
Astoria & Columbia River Railway
companies have entered the combina-
ton of the Vanderbilt system. Accord
ing to the statement made by a promi-
nent railroad man last night, the papers
covering the deal have already been
filed with the secretary Of state. If this
rumor be true. Astoria will be made the
western terminal OF the great system.
1t is confidently expected hat the local
line will go in, and this alone viii secure
the terminal for this city. II is said
the excellent location of Astoria, being
the only point north Of San Francisco
that is on the ocean, brought about the
combination of the four lines
Railroad traffic officials. especially
those Of the all trans-continental lines,
are very much pleased over the
findings of the interstate
commission I'm the Canadian Pacific
rate war case. Local traffic men are
Of the opinion the decision viii have a
marked moral effect on the ultimate
settlement Of the controversy that has
existed so long over the claim of the
Canadian Pacific that II is entitled To
n difterential over the American lines.
The decision has no controlling force in
the matter, but il is believed ii will
have a moral force that will he felt
strongly in congress when the matter
is taken up by the national legislature.
III Is the opinion tnat the commission
could have Tor no more han ii did to
support the American lines. and that
the opinions expressed will have a
strong influence i'm future operations.
The views Of rafic men generally are
aptly expressed by General Traffic
Manager Clarke Of the Great Northern
and General Passenger Agent Fee Of
the Northern Pacific, who were inter
viewed on the subject by a st. Paul
paper the other day. Mr.. Clarke said:
THE commission intimates that the
| diferential principle is bad. and its
opinion carries great weight with us all.
! IL throws out the hint that weak lines
, should not be holstered IN at the ex-
: pense OF stronger competitors. and that
, railroads should be run on the basis Of
legitimate competition the same as 9TH
: er commercial concerns"
Me Fee said: THE commission goes
right to the beginning Of the trouble
when they say i'm their op Mon that all
along the diGerential has been the real
? source Of contention. After the very
thorough manner in when the commits
2 sion inquired into the rate war uues-
I ton at the recent Chicago hearing Il
is not surprising to find that they
? reached the conclusion that the Cana
dian Pacific was such a roundabout
5 line to san Francisco that II was really
not entitled To any Of that traffic, AMI
therefore. certainly not entitled - 2
diferential. Neither is Il surprising te
g find that the Canadian Pacifc's con,
tention for a differential on north Pa.
ciic coast business on account Of Ions,
= or time was found 10 be Of no force IN
Il the opinion OF the commission n il,
n face Of the fact that the Canadian d.
n cilc railway made shorter time via II.
st. Paul-S0o-Pacifr lire to pacihs
coast points than IL made by its MAR
line via Port Arthur"
4 Chicaeo writer for the st. Loui,
Glohc-Dcmocrat says that Chairman
Caldwell Of the Western Passenger as
ISOLATION has issued a circurlr calm,
2. the attention Of Western general pass
j. enEer agents % the necessity fer \ Re
organization OF the Western P~asasaEe
! association. The matter vii BE- irfnr