The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-20


half hours late the next day.
That the Southern Pacific can run
its trains faster than rs miles an hour il
1t chooses to is evidenced in the case OF
us new and unlucky owl train between
san FRANCISCO and Los Angeles. That
train makes the run, a distance of 49,
miles, in IA hours and is minutes. 1t
makes several stops on the way The
run from Oakland mole TO Tracy is
MADE at the rate of 40 miles an hour;
tnat from Tracy to Fresno at IS miles
I an hour: that from Fresno to Bakers
field at "a miles an hour, and across the
stretch known as the Mojave tangent
at the rate of 10 miles an hour"
Having warned railroad presidents
that they will be held personally re-
| sponsible for rate cutting hereafter, the
| interstate commerce commission now
proposes to gather before it the leading
shippers of the United States for the
purpose of informing them that they,
| too, must obey the terms of the law
regulating commerce between the states
This meeting, it is stated will be held
at Washington before the end of the
month.
| Under the interstate commerce law
the person who receives and benefits
by reduction of rates below those filel
With the commission Is equally guilty
with the railroad official who gives it..
| The law declares illegal every con-
tract, combination in the form of trust
or otherwise. or conspiracy, in restraint
| of trade or commerce." and it declares
| that every person who shall make any
such contract or engage in any such
| combination or conspiracy" shall be
| deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and on
conviction shall be fined or imprisoned
| Inc fine may not exceed $4,000 and the
ter mot Imprisonment may not exceed
one year. The courts, however, have
the, power to ,inf1ict both punishments
Since the beginning of the new year
the commerce commissioners have had
meetings with the leading railroad pres
idents of the United States. These Off
Gals have been told plainly that rate
cutting must cease, that reductions
must be made only in compliance with
the law. and that hereafter not the con-
tracing freight agent but the chief exc
cut1ve of transportation company is
to be held responsible. Now that the
railroad men have had their warning
the big shippers are to be called in for a
talk.
Just 200 American railroads have made
full reports of their finances for the
year 1898 up to this date These 200
roads show an increase in gross earn
ings, as compared with the IL months of
1897, of SIS, 316,7 19, record that has
never before been equaled The aggre-
gate of the gross earnings of these
roads was Sill ,61555O.
Ih1s increase of gross earnings for the
year just passed exceeds all expecta-
tions. Up to Dec. l comparison with
the first II months of 1897 showed an
increase for 119 roads of $29, 464.37S These
lls lines included the greatest in the
United States, for the big roads are the
first to make their reports 1t was not
expected. therefore, that the increase
would be doubled by the addition of
roads which had not yet reported and
by the results of opera tons for the last
month of the year. The figure has been
doubled, however, within about $500, 900
1t is now prophesied that the full re-
turns for the year will show an increase
over 1897 of fully $79000,O0O. is
/ For the month of December 1874 roads
report gross earnings of $50, 461, 1885, 5For
the first week of January Sc roads have
reported gross earnings aggregating
$5,645S51, an increase, as compared
with the corresponding period Of las.
year, of $780, or 6.39 per cent. For
the last week of last year 80 roads re-
port gross earnings of $13,O79,95O an in
crease of s1,391,4 All, or 11.9 per cent.
A Baltimore & Ohio official in author
ity gives out some very positive state
ments regarding the official personnel of
that line. He says among other things:
The new general manager f, d. I'm
derWood, accepted his position at Cowen
and Murrays solicitation. Mr.. Hill said
that he was good man and strongly
recommended him. Mr.. Underwood's
delay in accepting was" due to matters
entirely personal. Mr.. Murray insisted
on his coming, and so did Mr.. Hill. He
has come and will have charge of the
operation He is not a Hill man. nor a
Murray and Cowen man. nor anybody's
man. He is a Baltimore & Ohio man,
and will make a good one.
John K. Cowen is going to be presi-
dent. He is the choice of the owners
Oscar Murray will be vice president
That is settled No other man knows
so much about traffic and transporta-
ton. Mr.. Cowen and Mr.. Murray are
the strongest railroad team in the coun-
try to-day. They will run the road, and
in two years it will be one of the great