Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-11-04
TO DIVIDE STEAM TRAFFIC.
Railroads Plan to Pool Eastbound
Business and End Rate War.

Chicago. Nov. 4--The interstate COM
merce commission is to be asked to APP
,,rove of plan which the western rail
roads have to pool the .east-boulfd
steamship business. If, the plan goes
thru it will end a rate war which mas
been waged by the roads east OF Chl-
ago for many years.
Every year there are between 4o,0oo
nd 10000 foreigners who pass thru
Chicago every fall. bound for visit to
he old country. They travel on sec
ond-class fares and there is great strife
among the different lines for the busi-
ness. This has led in the past to the
oayment of excessive commissions to
steamship agents as inducements for
tain lines.
The present plan is for the railroads
to pay a commission direct 10 the
steamship companies which may do as
they like with the money. In carrying
out this plan it is purposed to make
money pool out of the business and
place F. c. Donald, commissioner OF
the Central Passenger association, IN
CHARGE of the pool to make the DIVISION
and see that no road secures an excess.
The division which has prac tically been
agreed upon is as follows: Four sixths
of the business to be divided equally
among the Wabash, Nickle Plate,
Grand Trunk and Erie roads, and two
fifths to be divided among the BATH
more &, Ohio, the Pennsylvania and the
Michigan Central upon a basis to here
after be agreed upon by those roads.
The steamship companies are. under
the plan, to be given commission OF
10 per cent, but not to exceed $l.oo
ticket. There is no stipulation between
the railroads and the steamship COM
panies with respect to the disposition
which shall be made of this percentage.
The steamship companies are free to
keep It in their Golfers or to divide il
with their agents, as they see fit. This
commission, however, is to be in lieu
of everything which has ever been paid
by the railroads to control the bust
ness.
In order to make it possible for the
manager of the pool to control 1t, 1t
is proposed to change the second class
fares between Chicago and New YORK.
The present second class rate over the
differential lines from Chicago to New
York is s16 AS an inducement to
purchase railroad and steamship tick
cts at the same time, the thru rate
may be made SIS, the rate for local
business to New York remaining at
SIG. If this is not done. the local rate
may be raised to ST. and the thru rate
to be made SIG. 1t is figured that the
business can be controlled by the pool
agent only if there is an indueenlent
of 81 for the passenger TO buy ms
railroad ticket at the same time that
he buys his steamship ticket.
The eastern roads are hoping that
the interstate commerce commission
will approve of the plan and are bas-
ing this hope upon the fact that the
commission gave it's approval to the
Immigrant pool west-bound. The con-
ditions. however, are different. The
commission stated that, altho the i'm
migrant pool might not be strictly le-
gal. the fact remained that it had
accomplished a great good in that 1t
had brought protection to the im1ni-
grants who. under the old order OF
things. were robbed before leaving
New York.