The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-12-01
RUMORED TRAFFIC DEAL
OWNERS OF THE BIG ROADS SAID
TO BE IN AN IRON-CLAD POOL.
Heavy Travel Yesterday ms a Result
of Reduced Rates-General and
Personal hallway News

The New York Herald devotes consider
able space to rumored important alliances
between the trunk lines, among other
things stating that, quietly but surely,
there has been built up by the financial
giants who control the trunk-line railroads.
a traffic deal which will be able to get
around the law against pools and yet ac-
complish all Of the purposes of a pool and
enable them to secure profitable rates to
all of the interested companies. 1t was the
knowledge that this traffic deal is about to
be put into operation, and the fact that the
Baltimore & Ohio was to be operated In
harmony with the Pennsylvania and New
York Central interests that gave rise to the
report that the frst-named company had
been acquired by the Pennsylvania. Denials
are made of the report that the Baltimore
* Ohio has been acquired by either of it's
competitors, but ii is understood that the
management of the Baltimore & Ohio has
reached an understanding with the inan-
ciers who control the Pennsylvania and
Central to handle all traffic impartially,
and henceforth not to permit any rate dis
turbances to influence them. The Erie, the
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the
Ontario & Western, the Reading, the Lee
high Valley, the New Jersey Central and
the Chesapeake & Ohio are all controlled
in the interest of Messrs. Morgan and Van
derbilt, and there is no danger Of disturb
ance from these companies. Rapid strides
have been made in arranging details of the
big traffic deal, which, TO all intents and
purposes, is to be a pool of the most IRON
clad character, but regulated by a coterie
of fnanciers, not by traffic officials. The
men who have this scneme In hand ~foresee,
possibly. efforts on the part of the authori-
ties to make trouble and to charge them
with violating the antitrust law, on the
ground of running a pool. They will be
prepared for this in more ways than one.
In the first place. they will hold that no
traffic association exists among the trunk
lines, and they will defy the authorities to
ind one. Hence, they will say. there is no
have just been taken 10 destroy signs or
pooling are significant. The committee of
in hand the duty of winding up the af-
fairs of the association, after 1t was de-
olared to be illegal by the United states
Supreme Court, has just taken the last
steps to extinguish the remains of that or
ganization. On Jan. / more than 80 per cent.
CT all of the commodity tariffs will be abol-
ished, and, In addition, there will be some
significant advances in freight rates. On
that date there will also be a REIMBURSEMENT
end to the disturbance of international
rates and prevent steamship companies
from demoralizing the railroad rates.
After Jan. L the percentages now carried
by the several trunk lines will be lived up
to more strictly than ever before, and all
agents and traffic managers will be held to
strict account for cutting rates. These
| rules apply to west-bound freight business,
and for some time agents nave been work
ing under instructions not to deviate from
the existing tariffs on any account what
ever.
THE new arrangement applies chiefly to
| west-bound business. East-bound traffic
cannot be controlled so easily, since the
| initial lines are in the West, and they
| sometimes make concessions to shippers.
Ii is said. however, that the scheme con-
| ness, both east-bound and west-bound, pas
| senger as we'll as freight, under the same
strict control.