Kansas City journal., 1899-03-10
AMONG THE RAILROADS
FAVOR APPOINTING 4 NATIONAL.
RAILROAD COMMISSION.
George u. blanchard Disrussc. Rate
Sttunti"n-S"iution of the Prob
lem Lays in Allowing the
RailrOnds to Pool.

The need of better legislation for the
establishment, of uniform freight rates w,tS
discussed 10y George l.. blanchard. late
| commissioner of the Joint Traffic Ass"cih-
ton. at a banquet OF III. National Ass"cIl-
| ton of Merchants and Travellers, on
"Wednesday night in Chicago.
Ny. blanchard advocated a national rail-
way commission Ia regulate freight rates.
Amon, other things he said. Great COM
rlcations attend the geographical adjust
| ment of rates between competing localities
and lines. Taking Chicago as a pivotal
point. the determination of half 4 million
!atcS. app!yiu. upon :;rl1 articles moving
inward and outward over many roads If
unequal facility. between sharply contest
irg psints. can hardly l." calculated. AS
! an illustration. given AN export shipment
which may be competitive TO Galveston.
New Orleans. Port Arthur. Pensacola and
all seaboard points uorth thereof To Mon
trca!. and which affects hy law all int. yior
points: how i 1t 10 .,r adjusted salts
iact"rilN 10 all the mercantile and railroad
Interests The am inquiry holds good 20
competitive manufactured merchandise. say
from Grand Rapids rs compare! with Syrt-
crS.-aud from every point Ill every state
TO many other points in every other sts.:e
and through IrtcrmcGiat. states. l regard
The work which has been accomplished 50
tar as astonishing.
1t is 50 much greater than the govern
| mental tariffs ttfaj The lattes ar unworthy
been largely assisted mainly bv original
conferences among the railr,Nld companies,
which the tendency of the law seems To
forbid and by subsequent conferences be-
tWt.n them and the trade bodies re$pcct-
lively Interested i'll such solutions as TO vari-
Gus goods and articles.
Il have never found reason advanced
why IN" railroad revenues of -he country.
being found reasonable and legal in all
respects. and being three times those of
the government, are not as fully desirable.
OF m:ilittHHnC-. II not three times a. much
SO. in the public interest. and why they
should not be maintained with like par
tialty an! in:iexibility under governmental
supervision / thoroughly favor the ap-
fuintmtnt OF a national railway commits
sion. with authority TO iix rates
IN" iinai word 20 be saiu on the rate dis
crimin;.tlons ns problem and its cure is that
equitable in operation by the authorization
OF pools. 10 pass under the supervision Of
i'ie interstate commerce commission, the
rates proposed to be charged Hereunder
70 lie attached to contracts and made pub
H'iS Known. and 10 which III. Interstate
commerce commission Snail first assent or
give hearings if it doubts their equity
approved in 1884 by eighty-seveu OF the
trade bodies of the union. representing
twenty-thr,e states
WI hlie meeting the enactmenis of the
So'eiEihtnt IN respect to safety appliances
grade crossings, and an annually increased
stare taxation. 1t would seem that the rail-
Iodu companies are at least entitled 10
contract with each other and ,nforc. ,beir
mutual contracts after they have been an.
prove" by the national authority The last
report OF The interstate commission summed
VI, eieF"H yeLrs OF its lahors with this terse
t)n'iuSiph: II ntli needful legislation is
supplied that demand IL e. for r.asnnahjn
ara uniform rates for all shippers and com
anu,'.,;es, must remain unsatsiicd. and the
COMMISSION must continued to rest under
the responsibility of Il duty which II i
poWerless to discharge 4" "