The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-23


That Effect-A Meeting VIII
Therefore BE Held In the Near
Future I'm Montreal or Chicago,
General Passenger Agent Fee, Of the
Northern Pacific railway, received
telegram yesterday from Chairman
Caldwell, of the Western Passenger as
ISOLATION, who is at Washington, d. c.
with the intelligence that Mr.. McNicoll
passenger traffic manager of the Ca
madam Pacific, had asked for further
conference of the sub committee, which
was unable to make report when. they
adjourned last Friday at New York.
Another meeting of the subcommittee
will probably be held soon, either at
Montreal or Chicago. Mr. McNicoll is
in favor of holding the conference
at Montreal, but the American roads
will probably favor Chicago as the most
convenient place.
General Passenger Agent Whitney,
who is a member of the subcommittee,
returned yesterday from New York.
The four days meeting at New York
of the special committee, consisting of
General Passenger Agent Whitney, of
the Great Northern; Davis, of the
Grand Trunk; Heafford, of the Milwau-
kee, and McNicoll, of the Canadian Pa
clfic, resulted in no agreement. The
~oHeiIlidH dcllc absolutely refused 10
listen to any kind of proposition, eX-
cept a complete surrender on the part
of its competitors. 1t claimed all the
Canadian colonist traffic, and thatAmer-
lean roads must not participate in the
rates at which the road moves colonist
or Second-class travel from Ontario and
Quebec into the Northwest which is
largely used for basing rates for COM
mercial traffic to United States points
On this question the Canadian railroad
declines to arbitrate at ALL although it
insists upon the right to carry business
from one point in the United States
over its lines to another in this country
at lower rates than are made by Ameri-
| can lines.
The American lines refuse to accede
to this proposition or any proposition of
| q like nature, and also are firm in
their opinion that the Canadian Pacific
is not entitled to any differential rates
on North Pacific or Alaska business
| The American lines contend that there
is nothing further to arbitrate, for the
interstate commerce commission had
| decided that the Canadian Pacific has
no claim for differentials saying:
1t is manifest that the American lines are
emitted to and ought to insist upon a por-
ton of this transcontinental business, and
| that in order to obtain any portion of II
they must meet the rates which have been
MADE by the Canadian Pacific. To refuse
TO meet those rates would permanently di-
| vert this traffic from their lines and would
De an act of injustice to the stockholders
whom they represent. 1t seems unfortunate
that there is no way by which difficulty
OF this kind can be. adjusted without resort
to rate war of the proportions which this
is likely to assume, but apparently there is
no other method.
However it may be as to the long and
short haul. the Canadian Pacific does vio-
late the provisions of the interstate COM
merce act in one most important respect
| and without that violation of our law 1t
would be impossible for that company to eff
fectively continue this contest A carrier
cannot make joint tariff over it's own line
and the line of some other company with
out the consent Of the latter company
/ That is exactly what the Canadian Pacific
| is doing In almost every instance. 1t has
| no joint arrangement with any American
line 1t simply pays the local fare over that
| line to it's own line and absorbs that as
| part of the through rate. 1t in effect grants
! rebate to every passenger paying local
fare to its line. BY virtue of this practice
the Canadian Pacific secures the business
and without X practically none of the bust
the United States from which the Canadian
! Pacific may not purchase traffic in this way
Now that the Canadian Pacific's at
titude is plain the Eastern roads will
no doubt help their Western brothers
by reducing West bound rates. If this
is done, 1t is only a matter of time
when the Canadian Pacific will be
obliged to pull down it's colors and ne
gotiate for peace, for it would be fool
| hardy for that road to attempt to fight
the combined forces of the American
| lines. In all probabilities the Canadian
Pacific will change its obstinate policy
after the Klondike rush has died out,
and propose acceptable terms.