The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-01-09
-S-S
RATE CUTTING AND POOLING.

Senator Cullom of Illinois, the au-
thor of the Interstate commerce law,
says that he is satisfied that there
would not now be much opposition to
bill permitting railroads to pool their
earnings-that there has been a great
change in public sentiment in regard
to that matter Is il not a fact that
the people generally were never
strongly opposed to legislation per-
hitting railroads to pool their earn
ings? Congress may have thought
there was great opposition to it for
the reason that the big shippers rails
ed cry against it when it was pro-
posed. They were the ones benefited
by competition. They were the ones
who got up the petitions against pool
ing and flooded the country with cir
culars calling on the people to protest
against it, The small shippers and
the people generally hadn't much
to say about the matter. They cut
very little figure in the controversy.
But why does Senator Cullom think
there has been change in public sem
timent in the matter? Is it not be-
cause the railroads have made COM
binations so that they are practically
able to refuse concessions to the big
shippers? 1t certainly looks that way
Now that the big shippers cannot bull
doze the railroads into giving them re-
bates or cut rates they have no reason
for Directing to legislation permitting
pooling.
And the chances are that the rail-
roads don't care for the privilege of
pooling. They have found a way to
get along without it. Most of the
small railroad systems have been
merged into the big ones and the big
systems have an understanding with
one aonther not to cut rates or grant
rebates. The Pennsylvania Railroad,
Der of other great systems. and they
work together for the maintenance of
rates.
Apparently Congress would like to
| do now what the railroads wanted
done when they we're not in a position
TO defend themselves against the ex-
actions of the big shippers-when the
| big shippers were driving the small
shippers out of business by getting
| concessions from the railroads and
Congress would not interfere to pro-
tect the small shippers-but it would
not be surprising If the railroads
should prefer to have the railroad sit
uation remain as It Is. They are not
asking Congress to pass a bill author
izing pooling.
| What Senator Cullom is after prob
ably is a law to enable the Interstate
| Commerce Commission to fix the rates
for railroads, at least to supervise
them. Such a law is advocated for
the protection of the people against
unreasonable rates and 1t is probable
that it would be very good law. The
best interests of the country would be
served by uniform rates provided they
| were just and reasonable. While il
Is principle of business that the big
buyer and the big shipper shall have
better terms than the small buyer or
the small shipper, IL there Is to be any,
thing like competition the small ship
per must be put on a footing with the
big shipper. Otherwise 1t is in the
power of the big shipper to drive the
small shipper out of business.
1t is probable If Senator Cullom
should introduce a bill into Congress
authorizing railroads to pool their
earnings he would find the railroads
against it. The roads don't want the
Interstate Commerce Commission to
supervise their rates.