The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-20
THE TEST YET TO COME
WILL THE PRESIDENTS STRICTLY
ENFORCE THEIR AGREEMENT.
Freight Men Receive Positive In
structiOns tn Restore Rates Jan.
= and Maintain Them.

Colonel S. r. Gray, division freight agent
of the Pennsylvania lines. says he thinks
there will be a determined effort to restore
rates Jan. in all directions. Every freight
official has received positive instructions to
that effect. He said that, Sc far as his di-
vision was concerned, since Dec. II he had
not taken a pound of freight below tariff
rates, and was able to furnish but one car
where five were demanded. He thinks tariff
rates are low enough to satisfy any reason
able shipper
John Lazarus traffic manager of the In
diana Decatur & Western, says he is one of
the officials who need not send out instruc-
lions to freight representatives to restore
rates to tariff he thought it unnecessary to
90 So as every car the Indiana Decatur Il
Western owns could be used to good adj
vantage on it's own line. He is confident the
line is now getting its proper percentage of
the restored tariff.
e. +. Cost, freight traffic manager of the
Big Four lines, has given positive instruc-
lions to every agent to restore rates on every
class of freight to full tariff after Dec. 81,
and he has gone further than ever before
i'm pledging himself that the Big Four will
not cut rates unless satified that it's COM
petitors are doing so. If the Big Four should
cut rates it will, said Mr.. Cost, be done
openly and not secretly, as has been done
of late, and which led to the present rate
Generalization.
A. d. Pendleton commercial agent of the
Vandalia, says he has received positive in
structions to accept no business below tariff
rates to be moved after Jan. q and he ex-
presses the opinion that there is a determi-
nation on the part of the freight men to re-
store and then adhere to rates.
l.. J. Baker, representing the Vanderbilt
consolidated fast freight lines, said he was
Disguised with the manner in which business
had been handled OF late. There were five
carloads of freight to ship where there
was one car to carry it, and the idea of haul
Ing that one carload of freight as a rate
that left no margin when the five could be
readily loaded at tariff was unbusinesslike.
III. G. Stiles, general agent of the freight
department of the Cincinnati, Hamilton d
dayton, said their line had not had cars to
move one-half of the business offered, but
he did not know but they were as we'll on
at rates that would not yield any profit.
L. L. Fellows. representing the fast
freight lines operating over the Lake Erie
4 Western, says he is glad there is to be a
restoration of freight rates. as the railroad
freight men had been the laughing stock of
good business men long enough the fact
was that the shipper had been naming his
own rate, and found that if one road would
not carry ii at his rates another could be
I0unQ tndt would 90 IL.
j. V. Stanberry, who represents the
Traders Dispatch in this territory. says that
the lines have beenacarrying freight so low.
especially grain and provisions, that could
he have secured cars to load he would have
hesitated about taking freight at such low
figures. He believes that for once there
will be an attempt to carry business at tariff
after Jan. p How long the lines would
stand together in the effort he did not know,
but thought it might last until spring, when
navigation opens up.
G. A. Lucas, general travelling agent in
this territory for the Lackawana line, says
he believes there is intention on the part
of all the lines to restore rates to tariff on
jan ? He expressed the opinion that every
line would have its contract freight out of
the way by that date and all would COM
mence the year with clean states. Shippers.
he said had become convinced that the days
OF demOralized freight rates are about at an
end for the present at least.
Personal, Local and General Notes.
J. ]. Turner general manager of the Van
dalia lines, IL in the city.
The Ohio Falls car works are building
new cars for the Queen & Crescent.
NJ D. Woodford president of the Cincin-