The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-12-23

the country have been abandoned or
fallen into disuSe, h report declares,
because Of railroad influence.
Cd The conditions here set forth" says
Mr.. Conant, can not fail to COM
mand attention. So far as the eastern
part Of the country is concerned, water
lines have to a large extent become
auxiIiaries or subsidiaries of railroads.
These conditions force consideration OF
the policy to be adopted toward SUCH
water carriers. Since water COmpeti-
ton has in considerable measure been
restricted by railroad control of water
lines, this fact must be taken account Of.
The interstate commerce commission
has by recent legislation secured q con-
siderable increase in Jurisdiction over
Joint rail-and-water traffic, partiCu-
larly with respect to the establishment
of joint rail-and-Water rates and the
equitable division of such rates be-
tween the ~co-carriers. This is a matter
Of vital Importance. If there is TO be
any successful attempt to increase
competition in domestic water traffic,
it seems certain that such joint rate
ARRANGEMENTS should be far more gem
orally established than at present.
Since Joint through rates are almost
invariably less than the sum OF the 10
cal rates, a steamship line deprived or
the advantage of a joint rate arrange
IIl6hL WIFI ldlLlO dhS VI "A SANtNN"'S
basis is practically unable to compete
with a rival enjoying it."
The report says that twenty rail-
roads of the country control steam
vessels and barges Of $4,000 gross
tonnage engaged exclusively in domes-
tic trade and continues:
THE tonnage of the New Haven
system is the largest aggregating a
little over 100000 gross tons. Next
in importance is the Union Pacific
Southern Pacific. with a grand to-
tai Excluding tonnage engaged in
foreign trade) of over $50, 600 gross
tons. The Pennsylvania Railroad
Co.'S water lines have $500 gross
tons in steamers and $500 tons in
barges; the New York Central, over
10000 gross tons; the Central of
Georgia railway, over 10000 gross
tons
: 'The total capitalization of water
lines controlled by these railroads
(this not covering holding companies
n several very important unincor-
ported services) aggregates $685.
375 in stock and $31,263,8S7 in bond
ed debt. OF the stock $40,223, 800 and
| of the bonds $19,211,137 are owned by
eighteen railroads or their subsidiar-
les. In most instances railroads w
practically all the stock of the separ-
ated water lines which they con-
troll"
OF the traffic not dominated by
railroads along the eastern seaboard,
the great bulk, adds the report, is
controlled by two important steam
ship consultations, the Atlantic,
Gulf and West Indies Steamship
lines and the Eastern Steamship COR
poration. With a few exceptions the
constituent companies of these col
solicitations were formerly subsidiaries
of the Consolidated Steamship lines.
organized by Charles W. Morse, and
which collapsed in 1907.
While there appears to be no in
terownership of stock between these
two steamship consultations, Mr..
Conant adds, they have several di-
r~ectors in common indicating a con-
siderable community of interest.
On the great lakes all the important
through passenger and package
freight lines, 1t is declared, are own
ed by railroads. In the local pack
age-freight traffic there are a large
number of independent water carriers.
Several of the principal lake fleets
Handling ore, coal and lumber, it is
said, are under the control of i'm
portant industrial concerns, the laPg-
est being the Pittsburg Steamship