The times., 1901-04-20
RAILROADS AND PROGRESS
Testimony Given Before the Indus
trial Commission.
George II. Anderson ON the Relation
Between Transportation and Pros
perity - Discrimination in Rates
Affairs of the CordaEc Trust.

peTity - fscrim inatiou IN Hhtes
Affairs of the CordnSc Trust
George H. Anderson. of Pittsburg. Pa.
a member of the Chamber of Commerce
of that city, yesterday gave to the In
dustrial Commission his views on condt-
tions of transportation as affecting in
dustrial affairs in the United States. La
! Dor and industrial conditions, from their
| economic. social and political aspects, he
| thought We're second to none in affect
| ing the welfare and prosperity of the
! country But for the expansion in rail-
| way facilities, however, this increase in
! prosperity and wealth, attributed to in
dustrial development. would have been
! impossible.
Referring to Pittsburg, Mr.. Anderson
| said that from 1880 until 1850 the growth
| in population was very moderate. After
| the advent of the Pennsylvania Railroad
/ in 1852 the city made rapid strides to-
| ward it's present condition. Now with
! Pittsburg as the centre the district for
! radius of sixty miles thereabout has a
| larger population than any correspond
! ing area west of the Atlantic Coast, and
| is truly called the empire of industrial
! enterprises. a complete interdependence
existed between industrial and transpor-
! tation interests and neither would have
prospered without the other.
Despite the utterances of newspapers
and certain "demagogues, Mr.. Anderson
/ said unjust discrimination was not prac-
ticed by the railway systems. If one city
or district was favored it was but a short
| time until railroads in other districts
were compelled to grant the same con-
| cessions in order to protect industries de-
/ pendent upon them, as. by protecting
/ patrons the life of a road was sustained.
/ Lowness of rates was not as desirable as
| stability. Determinations against any
! special locality could not exist for any
great length of time. The favoring of
| special shippers and special commodities
had forced railroads to give equal con-
! cessions, and If those rates were not re-
| munerative the loss was made up by excess
/ charges in other commodities and on other
/ shippers. And if one city or district was es-
! peclally favored il was but short time
I until railroads iu other districts would be
| compelled IN order TO maintain themselves,
| 10 oHer Shippers the same or better rates
| than those which the specially favored
| districts temporarily enjoyed
| Mr.. Anderson considered waterway
! transportation as great factor In in
dustrial Development without which gen
| eral prosperity would be dwarfed and
! crippled. The Great Lakes carry 25. 600 =
| 0D0 tons annually at a rate impossible in
| railroad transportation. while the navi-
| gable streams of the Mississippi and Ohio
| valleys carried an annual tonnage of over
| 81, ,0000 900.
Mr. Anderson thought the question of
fuel the most serious with which the older
countries had TO cope and that the grow
| ing scarcity of coal was daily deducting
| from theiE supremacy in productive
forces. With the cheapest the best and
! the most abundant supply of fuel, the cen
/ tire of industrial production would grad
| ually change to the United States With
cd sa,rI
| Vorable transportation rates-by rail to
! the Atlantic Coast and water to the Gulf
! the world would in the not distant fu-
| ture pay tribute 10 us for it's fuel supply
| Mr.. Anderson was strongly in favor of
an isthmian canal. 1t was an absolute
| necessity and would still further advance
our export facilities and prove a benefit
| 70 our commerce. In this connection
| however, it was necessary to consider the
| imperative demand for the reinstatement
| or United States merchant ship service.
| without a merchant marine an isthrnian
| canal would be Of little benefit to us
Mr.. Anderson thought that there should
| be no rivalry between rail and water sSrs-
! TENS OF transuOrtatfnn 5vy7oud healthy
! competition, as one service was an auxil-
| iary of the other. II the isthmian canal
| We're built and great merchant marine
| established the effect of carrying Ameri-
! can products from the heart of the
| United States to central Europe by a
| continuous water route could only be
| guessed. 1T might result he thought in
! markets of the Old World
Mr.. Anderson thought the Interstate
| Commerce Commission should be given
| sufficient power 10 restrain railroads from
! exercising undue power, or discriminating
! against the general public Pooling agree
| nents should be IegaiiZed between trunk
| and competing lines, but made public and
! under the control Of the Commission.
| The most serious question of the pres
| ent arose in dealing with the army of
| men employed by railroad and Industrial
1 e. nj ~ mi iarar nd
| intervention of friendly arbitration would
in great measure prevent strikes and lab
| or troubles. An essential condition nee
| essary to the harmonious relations be-
| tween the great factors Of labor and cap
| ital were Cancellation. arbitration and
| mutual forbearance
| J. q. Taylor, OF New York Secretary Of
| the Standard Rope and Twine Company
| testified concerning the cordage combua-
| ton. The Commission. with the aid Of
| Mr.. Taylor, thrashed over a good deal of
| old straw ana but little information was
| elected beyond that already given before
| the Commission.
| Mr.. Taylor. who has been connected
! with the hemp industry for the past four
| teen years. p said that, in his belief. no
| money had been made In the manufacture
Of hemp in the last five years Profits
| that the manufacturers had been able to
make were due to SpecuIations in the raw
| material. He gave it as his opinion that
| the formation of the National COrdage
| Company was due To their raising the
| prices for their manufactured product be-
! yOnd the intrinsic value Of their manufac-
| tured product.