The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-03-05
BREAK IN IMMIGRANT POOL
LACkA ANNA WITHDRAWS. To
PLY FOR BUSINESS ALONE.
Seven Other Roads still In the CLEAR.
ing House withdraw Ai Believed to
Have Deen Prompted by steamship
Lines After Complaints Of Routing.

Have Deen Prompted by steamship
The immigrant clearing house OF the
trunk lines at Ellis Island, known less
euphoniously on its organization about
twenty-five years ago as the railroad
pool has been disrupted by the with
line. A special agent Of the line did It's
business at Ellis Island Yesterday. Every
body connected with the management Of
the line was mute about the cause Of the
withdrawal. and Phpbe Snow said she
did not know There was less reticence on
the part Of some Ellis Island officials
They said that the Delaware and LackC-
wanna had notified the other members Of
the clearing house that it would with
draw ON Friday. and had done it. The
rupture is said 10 have been preclptated
by the complaints Of the steamship lines
and the dissatisfaction Of certain roads
with an arrangement by which other
roads proft-d more than the dissat-
sfled thought was fair
There il no doubt that the trouble was
caused chiefly by complaints of the steam-
ship companies A report that the Ham,
burg American Line was chiefly instr,i-
mental in causing the break in the pool
was denied last night by Emil L.. Boas.
resident director and general manager OF
the Hamburg American Line. Mr.. Boas
said that all the steamship companies had
protested against the "circuitous routing
Of immigrants" by the railroads. Mr.
Boas added
"The railroads send the third class
passengers by rail To suit the convenience
of the roads without regard to the routes
or the time consumed in the journey.
There have been cases where passengers
have been three or four times longer IN
making their journey than they would
have been il they had been sent by more
direct route | do not know the reason
| for the withdrawal of the Lackawauna
| Railroad from the clearing house
Ralph Fl Wallace. general passenger
agent of the Erie. said that the clearing
house still existed despite the withdrawal
! Of the LackAwanna He denied a report
that the various roads interested received
4 d
said each line was paid according to the
number of passengers carried. He did
not know. he said. why the Lackawanna
had withdrawn.
| MIR. Williams. the Commissioner of
immigration. was unwilling to express
an opinion on the withdrawal OF the Lack
awanna. Steamship agents said he had
told them that he was in accord with any
scheme by which the immigrants got to
| their destinations more directly than
they are able to do under the clearing
house arrangement Mr.. Williams hoped
the disagreement might he adjusted SO
az not to cause more trouble to the immi-
grant A fight for patronage at Ellis
Island might result in the separation
of families booked to destinations by
separate roads IL was said at Ellis
Island that the pool was formed in 1885
at the request of the Government SO AT
to do away with evils of comp retition fol
the privilege of carrying the immigrants
There seemed to he little doubt ri
Ellis Island that the Lackawanna haC
been asked by the steamship lines to shiI
third class passengers by more direc
routes than those prescribed by thu
clearing house and that the Lackawanni
decided to withdraw from the clearing
house and accommodate the steamship
companies. which. il was said. natural,
would divert all traffic possible Lacka
wanna way. II is said that the steamship
lines get a commission on all through
tickets sold in Europe or prepaid through
tickets sold here.