Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-22
DEMAND A DISCONTlNUANCE
Freight officials Contend that Arbitration
Must Be Effected.
ASSERT fUnl1Y OF FURTHER FIGHTING
Statement Is Made that Burlington
IL Fighting solely for Armour
Figures Indicate Lack of
Interest by Packers.

oficlals of various railroad freight depart
,ments contend that the difficulty between
sthe Burlington and the Memphis lines Is
tBtill as far from settlement as ever. They
assert that the trouble is spreading and that
the entire rate situation is endangered. They
demand dsconlinuance of the war. Real
azlng that the fight which the Burlington has
been making really would be of advantage TO
this city they have clung to the forlorn
hope that the differential might be lowered
20 cents and the Burlington come out vic
torlous in the fight They hoped that this
would be accomplished long before the rates
were entirely swept away and all freight
shipments for the southeast naturally dt-
vortcd from every line except the Burling-
ton, because of their disinclination to do
business at its rates.
Now they are demanding arbitration by
tthe appointment Of an arbitration committee
consisting of a representative from Omaha,
one from Kansas City and disinterested
third party connected with some railroad In
an official capacity. In case this cannot be
done they insist that a compromise be
effected
Conservative sentiment In Kansas City is
said to favor arbitration and the belief Is
general that in this way the differential be-
tween Kansas City and Omaha will be re-
duced to point which will In part compen-
sato Omaha for the long and bitter conten-
ton
Newspaper readers familiar with this
differenta fight have been informed of the
cutting and slashing until the rate on pack
ing house products fell from figure where
there was revenue in handling the busi-
ness until it reached the very bottom. Then
all the lines in the southeast withdrew and
left the Burlington to handle the business
These other lines asserted that it was none
OF their fight that the Burlington had in
Btltuted it, and they did not feel compelled
to do business at an actual loss when they
had nothing at stake.
That the differential was lowered from 6
cents to cents on the order of George B..
Harris second vice president of the Burling-
ton, is known, but whether or not the fight
was instigated wholly in behalf OF Omaha has
not been clearly defined.
Packers Fail to support burlington.
The noticeable lack of enthusiasm in the
support received by the Burlington has
belied the natural supposition that in a fight
being waged in the interests of the packing
house industry as a whole in Omaha the
packers would rally to the support OF their
champion and turn to it at least the bulk of
their business. Had they done this the
Burlington would have received sufficient
additional revenue on shipments into terri
tory where the rates were normal to offset
the loss on-the southeastern business.
1t is asserted, however, that the Burling-
tons business has only been increased in
southeastern territory, and this competing
roads refused to handle at existing rates
The reason for this attitude has come tc
light, Representatives of the packing house:
refuse to discuss the affair, but their actions
are self-explanatory The Burlington, so II
is stoutly maintained by certain railway
officials, inaugurated this fight solely in the
interests of p. d. Armour. Tie Armour
Packing company, unlike the other prlncipa
packers in Omaha, has no Kansas City estab.
lishment. With the differentlal as between
Omaha and Kansas City lowered the south.
eastern territory would be opened I'D tc
better advantage to the Armour company fol
operation from its Omaha plant. A railroad
official sizes up the situation as follows
''P. d. Armour stands high in the councils
OF the Burlington railroad When he sait
fight the Burlington Immediately proceeded
to fight"
1t is cited in point that one Of the bes
territories in which the Burlington and it,
connections operate is Texas. For the weel
ending October IA shipments OF packinf
house products to Texas points amounted tc
twenty eight carloads. The shippers wer,
Cudahy, Hammond, Omaha Packing compan.
and Armour. OF this number the Burlington
received only five carloads. Four of thes,
represented the entire business Of tn,
Armour company in that territory and on
car came from the Omaha Packing company
Almost half of the entire total number o
cars was shipped by the Cudahy compan,
and not one over the Burlington.
Another suggestive incident comes to llgh
from Kansas City in the showing of CARLOAD
lots of packing house products from tha
city to Texas points. Out of total o
twenty four cars shipped by the Swift com
pany ten cars were routed over the Kansa
City, Fort Scott & Memphis-the line whcl
is engaged in the warfare with the Buring
ton. If the Swift company, which has
plant In Omaha and one also in Kansas City
were anxious that the differential be lowere
an accordance with the contention of the Bur
lington. the proposition is advanced that
would divert its business from the Memphl
line, and by so doing indicate its moral sup
port for the Burlington.
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