Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-04-10
IMPORTANT MEETINGS.
Rate Situation and the Western
Trunk Line Committee.

The coming week promises to be busy
one for the executives of the railroads and
also for the traffic officials. Many impor-
tant meetings will be held in Chicago. On
Tuesday. the executives of the Western
and Southwestern Lines will hold a meeting
and arrange some programme for the main
tenance of the rate situation in accordance
with the plans of the conference held re-
Gently with the interstate commerce COM
mission. This meeting will involve impor-
tant questions affecting transportation
companies in the West. While they will
make an attempt to formulate some plan
whereby the Generalization of the rate
situation will be prevented. yet they have
been warned by the commission that they
must not do anything that will be con-
TINS meeting viii be followed by the
Western Trunk Line committee meeting, at
which the life of the association will be
determined. Three of the four commits
sioners will retire, perhaps the association
Will be wiped out entirely. This will doubt
less be determined by the conclusions of the
executives meeting, on Tuesday. 1t Is be-
Heved that If tie committee is continued
at all, 1t will be little more than medium
for the publication Of joint rate sheets.
that of the Central Passenger Association.
when the action of the Michigan Central
t ten dinerential rates to Western lines
effort of the Western lines to prevent their
members from accepting the Michigan Cen
lTdl OHeT mas only Deen partially success
full. The Burlington has instructed its
agents to sell tickets on the differential
basis via the Michigan Central The Rock
Island has threatened to sell tickets on the
same basis via the Lake Shore if the tender
of the Michigan Central is accepted. 1t is
believed. however that the Rock Island will
stand the shrinkage in order to hold the
business. as it is not believed that the Lake
Shore has authorized the action.
The Alton. Northwestern and the Chica-
go. Milwaukee & ST. Paul notified Chair
man Caldwell on Saturday that they had
accepted the tender of the Michigan Central
and had notified their agents to sell tick
cts on the diferential basis. Very nearly
all the other lines in the Western Passen-
ger Association were in favor of postpon-
ing action and the three lines mentioned
Caldwell Immediately notified the Eastern
lines that the lines of the Western Passen-
ger Association would not use the rates
pending further conference
The chairman asks the Western lines to
issue instructions to their agents by tele-
graph in conformity with his assurances
to the Eastern roads. What action the
Burlington will take in the matter has not
yet been learned, but up to late hour last
night the instructions issued on Saturday
held good.
A special meeting of the Western lines
will be held during the week to consider
the situation. 1t is problematical what
will be done by the standard and different
ial lir-es to the East, and equally uncertain
what the various Western lines will do.
The one thing is certain that the Diff
advantage they have and the logical out
come is war. The meetings will be
watched by railroad men with great deal
of interest.