Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-01-25
RAILWAY TRUST.
A Gigantic Combine of Trunk
Lines Is Planned.
Hallway Magnates are Said to be
Working OH scheme TO Unite the
Great Roads Of the Country
Into the Biggest Of All In
dustriaI aIConsoIIdatiODs.

Chicago, Jan. 19.-The Tribune
says: In order to carry out their an
ti-commission agreement it is propos-
ed pow to combine all the railroads in
the country in big passenger pool
and operate it in such a way that each
| road will get an agreed percentage OF
the earnings. by such action no pos
| sible profit can accrue TO any of the
roads from ignoring the agreement.
| Each road is to be allowed to carry
| all the passengers j: can secure, but
any road that should manage to get
more than its allotted proportion
would have its labor for its pains, as
the profits would go to the competing
roads which have failed to carry their
| proportion of the business.
The eastern roads have all voted in
| favor of this scheme and a committee
of western railroad executive officials
is now at work to get all the western
lines into the combination.
The railroad magnates do not admit
| that the formation and maintenance
of a passenger pool would constitute
violation of the law. 1t has always
| been the contention of the railroads
that the section of the Interstate
commerce act forbidding pools relates
| only to freight traffic and does not
affect passenger business in any way,
and il now seems to be their determi-
| nation to act and fight it out on this
| presumption. The fact that President
! FELTON,, of the Alton, is chairman of
| the committee insureS the co-Opera-
| ton of the Alton and Union Pacific
| railroads, I-hich have been opposed
to pools heretofore. The Great North
ern, which always has been stun
| bling block in the way of pools and
steadfastly refused to Join the combi-
nations of that kind, is said to have
been won over.
The Chronicle says: As a result of
the recent consultations and agree
mentS among the owners of the great
trunk railways east of Chicago the en-
tire transportation system between
the Mississippi river and the Atlantic
seaboard is to be reorganized, inyolv-
ing the following changes: The aban-
donment of the city ticket offices of
all the roads in the syndicate in Chi
cago, New York, Philadelphia, Boston,
Buffalo, Baltimore, Washington, Pitts
burg. Cincinnati, Cleveland Detroit,
indianapolis, Peoria and St. Louis and
the substitution of joint offices N
each city. The discharge of all city,
general, travelling and district freight
and passenger agents and solicitors Of
the eastern roads i'll all parts of the
| United States, Canada and Europe.
This will affect nea4ly $4,000 men.
| The abolition of ell forms of COM
missions heretofore paid for the sale
| of tickets over these roads will affect
the incomes of 10000 agents and elm
mate the scalpers.
A number of through fast passenger
trains put in service during the past
| few years as the result of sharp com
petition will be abandoned, together
with all fast freight trains.
All the big competitors of the big
! systems are in with the combining
movement and stand ready to go into
any deal that will maintain rates and
reduce expenses. Several small indie
pendent roads in the west and north
west are to be purchased. The fail
ure of congress to legalize pooling IS
| given as the cause of the consolida-
| ton. as the owners are determined to
pool if the purchase of everv railroad
in the country is Necessary to obtain
| that end