Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-11-30

the freight business Of the eastern rail-
roads.
HAVE COVERED THEIR TRACKS.
Tho men who have this scheme In
hand forcaec possibly efforts on the part
OF the authorities to mako trouble and
TO charge them with violating the anti
trust law. on the ground Of running a
pool They will be prepared for this
w more ways than one. In the FIRST
place they VIII hold that no traffic as
ISOLATION exists among the trunk lines
and they Will defy the authorities to
ind one. Hence they will cay there II
no outward fign NJ n pool. The steps
which have Just been taken to destroy
signs of pooling are significant. The
committee OF the joint traffic afaocin-
tlon. which had In hand the duty ~
winding up the affairs Of the ai-socin-
tiOn after II was declared to be Illegal
by the United States court. has lust
taken the last steps 10 cxtingulsh the
remains u that organization. Notices
were vent out two days ago that all u
the furniture In the rooms ~ the Joint
traffic association would be sold, and
the lease q the rooms. which runs until
May !. viii be disposed o. After De
ccuher aist. all - the employees OF the
association will have been dlsinl..ed.
ASSOCIATION \ BLIND.
A. for the trunk line association. the
president OF one OF the railroads said
last night that It had ceased 10 act
ms an association ana handle any traf-
ilc matters, and II u now nothing more
than bureau. u KEGS It's rooms but
II does not lcglsiate IN regard TO rate
matters concerning the various rail-
roads, In word, u does nothing
llenccforth. the traffic officials will not
take any united action. unless some
"GENTLEMEN's AGREEMENT"
The work VI deciding what commod-
ity tarina should be abolished was done
BY committees Of the Interested rail-
ways, purely a. committees Of the rail-
roads and not OF any association, and all
tho business that IN now transacted
goes on under the gulsc OF Gentle
mems agreement" without any appar-
entity binding character. 80 far US out
side rules are concerned.
And yet the agreements that nrc now
made by the heads OF the different rail-
roads are more strictly maintained than
they have been for several years Tho
orders nfu given out, not from the
headquarters OF an association but from
the presidents Offices VI the several
railroads. The bureau" which " main
talned at the trunk line office collects
the data " what competitive business
II done by each company, Just as has
always been done and there Its work
ends.
The presidents OF all the railroads get
reports and they can tell nt a glance
how far ahead or behind they are. CONF
pared with the percentages 10 which
they are entitled. There IL no more
wranFllng. however. The three or four
financial men who control ali VI these
companies are easily able to siraightcn
out the differences. since they have In
forests at stake In all II them and a
short conference In the office of any OF
them takea the place OF formal confer
cnccs that have been held at trunk line
headquarters.
WILL "wHAcK UP"
There have been reports that this
Gardeners agreement had really
bcren In operation FOR several weeks
and that the changes 10 be made on
January l arr simply q pcrfcctlng OF
the big scheme. It was intimntcd that
the percentages between the roads
would be settled ON q money basis.
whore one road gets more than It's
share. and that In the absence of an
association this could be done by the
"Gcntlcmen'H agreement without de-
lection by government officials.
NATURALLY AGREEABLE.
Mr. Morgan. for example. as the chief
factor In the Erie, makes NO objection
20 the Lehigh Valley or Reading secur-
ing It's share. since Mr.. Morgan controls
the latter companies, In the same man
ner Mr. Morgan gives his word TO Mr..
Vanderbilt and Mr.. caasatt that the
Central and Pennsylvania shall secure
their fair share of the business. That
IL all there N TO It.
The new arrangement applies chiefly
to westbound business EastbOund
traiilc cannot be controlled 50 easily.
since the initial lines are In the west.
and they sometimes make concessions
20 shippers II Is said. however. that
the scheme contemplates the bringing
OF an kudf OF business, both eastbound
and westbound, passenger as well as
freight, under the same strict control.