The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-10-15
THO GREATEST TRUST IN THE
WORLD.


Until day or two ago it was thought
that something was known about all
of the great trusts, but, according 10
Mr.. J. NJ. Mdgely. who gave testi-
mony before the Interstate Commerce
| Commission in Chicago, this week, the
| greatest trust in the world is one about
which the general public has heard lit
tie or nothing. This trust is COM
posed of private car companies, and
| it has been putting it's hands deep
into the pockets of the peach growers
of this state during the past few
years.
The revelations which have been
made in the investigation which the
Interstate Commerce Commission is
now conducting are simply astounding.
The trust has apparently grown
holder each year of it's ex-
istence. Its victims could stand
its extortions no longer, and,
hence, the investigation. To what ex-
tent the railroads are acting with this
trust is not yet apparent. but, so far
it looks as if they were among it's
victims.
1t is able to charge whatever prices
suit it for it's cars and then it forces
the railroads to haul them at rates
which it practically dictates. 1t does
this by requiring the railroads to bid
against each other for the business
which it controls.
This trust is free from all COMPETE
tion and hence makes arbitrary charges,
but it depends upon competition-the
competition of the railroads for its
business-for the greater part of it's
profits.
The cars it owns are refrigerator
cars, a class of cars the railroads can
not very we'll afford to own, because
the most of them have use for such
cars only in certain seasons. For in
stance, the railroads in this state have
use for a large number of refrigerator
cars only when the peach crop is be
ing moved. There is need for such
cars, however, in some part of the
country all the time, and, hence, the
private car companies can keep their
refrigerator cars fully employed.
These private car companies claim
they are not common carriers, and
therefore, are not under the jurisdiction
of the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion or state railroad commissions and
hence are free to charge whatever
rates they please and they are pleas
ed to demand rates that leave the pro-
HnpRrg
ers of Georgia know something about
their rates. Mr.. Midgely, who says
they are the greatest trust in the world,
was formerly the manager of the West
ern Trunk Lines Association, and
therefore, knows all about them. In
the testimony it was shown that for
icing a car they charge about three
times the price charged by railroads
which have few refrigerator cars of
their own. AS a matter of fact, how
ever, they have compelled about all of
the railroads to cease operating cars
of this kind on their own account by
threatening to refuse to give them any
of their immense traffic.
What can be done to get rid of this
trust? That is the question the rail-
roads are now considering. 1t is a
trust that will not be easily broken
up, because those who are in it are
among the richest men in the coun-
try, and control a vast amount of
traffic. The great meat packing
houses and the Standard Oil Company
are said to be a part of it, and it is
certain they will not readily give up
the immense revenue they draw from
the trust.
The railroad companies see the neces-
sity for doing something and one of
the propositions is that they shall
form a refrigerator car company and
take over all of the refrigerator cars,
thus putting the private car companies
out of business. 1t is long STEP how
ever, to that condition of affairs, and
it is far from certain that it will be
taken