New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-12
NEW HAVEN PROBE BY
CONGRESS IS UNCERTAIN
Rules Committee Ends Hearing,
but the Members Have Not
Made Up Their Minds.
RAIL WAY AGREEMENT SEEN
Grand Trunk Pact, Harmless on
It's Face, Misleading, Hints
an Official-New Eng
land Distrustful.

land DiStruStful.
From The Tribune Bureau
Washington, Dec 1l.-With the appear
ance of uncertainty concerning what az
ton Il will take, the House Rules CoIii-
mittee ended tonight its hearings OF .'ie
O'Shaunessy resolution demanding an III
vestigation by the lower branch OF CON-
gress of the traffic agreement between
the Grand Trunk and the New York, New
Haven & Hartford railroads, when II "
alleged. resulted in ;he suspension oI
work on the Southern New England line
A COPY of the agreement itself was put
in evidence through r. G. Buckland' VICE
president of the New Haven road. ana on
IFS face did not bear out the charges
which have been made that Il was an in
strument 10 throttle competition. Iherc
is no stipulation concerning the suspeh-
sion Of work on the Southern New Eng
land line. which New England witnesses
continued TO assert to-day was the real
bone Of contention.
The agreement which was signed by
President Mellen Of the New Haven. but
not by officials Of the Grand Trunk. pro-
1
ings of freight over both roads, with
White River Junction. Vt, as the point
for interchange Of business, and for the
Joint use OF certain lines belonging to
each company in New England.
Provision for Disagreement.
II stipulated that the making of detailed
agreements covering this Joint use Of lines
|
berlin of the Grand Trunk and President
Mellen Of the New Haven. In case they
could not agree third person To act
with them would be appointed By the
Governor General of Canada. The agree
ment was 10 have become effective Janu-
ary1, 1918.
MIR. auckland said that as far as he
| knew the suspension Of work on the
Southern New England lire was not con
nected in any way with the agreement.
He promised that his company would give
such aid as II could In any investigation
Of its relations with the Grand Trunk or
Southern New England lines.
lie added. however. that inasmuch a.
the House Committee on Merchant
Marine and Fisheries already was author
/
ownership of steamboat lines he could
not see that anything could be accom-
plished by having a special committee go
over the same ground. I'VE have been
Investigated continuously for elk years"
! Mr. auckland said "and # seems 10 me
there should be some limit fixed
At the conclusion Of the hearing scnti-
ment was divided regarding the chances
for an investigation by Congress Mem
beers Of the Rules Committee said that
they had not made up their minds but Il
IS highly probable that II an inquiry f.
ordered changes will be made in the
! O'Shaunessy resolution. Representative
| Hardwick. a member Of the committee
suggested to-day that standing com
mttee OF the House might conduct the
investigation. instead OF specially APP
! pointed investigators.
Committee Decides To-day.
Mr.. Hardwick also suggested that inter
ference By Congress at this juncture
might embarrass the Department OF JUS
tce. which is now delving into the trans
action between the two railroads Chair
man Henry at late hour tonight said
that he had reached no decision regard
ing the O'Shaunessy resolution and that
the members Of the committee had come
to 10 conclusion. The Rules Committee
will meet tomorrow to vote Oh the pro-
posal Of a special investigation. and
probably Il will revise the O'Shauncssy
resolution, or leave the entire matter to
the Department of Justice.
Witnesses before the committee to-day
loudly insisted that the people Of New
England want the House TO conduct an
independent inquiry Albert K. Walker.
a New York lawyer. asserted that the
Grand Trunk should be forced TO build
its proposed extension or be met with "A
law forbidding It TO enter the United
| States This radical suggestion. how
ever; did not appear TO meet with serious
consideration at the hands OF the Rules
Committee.
W. II. Mcleod. a member Of the Public
| Utilities Commission Of Massachusetts.
predicted that the grand jury proceedings
in New York would result I'm suit
against the New Haven Railroad under
the Sherman law. lie was confident the
agreement In controversy was responsible
for the sudden suspension Of work on the
proposed extension of the Grand Trunk
and was I'm violation Of the law. lie said:
The completion Of this road was only
the start Of a very much larger enter
prise 10 give direct entry into the city Of
! Boston OF the traffic from Chicago. This
| enterprise was generally regarded as one
Of tho most farreaching I'm which New
| England had figured In many years. Pub
lie sentiment favored H. Suddenly the
project was snuffed out and the reason is
! obvious.
| think the Department Of Justice is
| going 10 have great difficulty in proving
| that there was any agreement as 10 aban-
donment Of this project. This written
agreement may represent the entire
| transa elton, but there was a singular
iuxtaposition Of events-work on this cX-
tension was stopped when the traffic
agreement was entered into.
| Representatives O'Shaughnessy and
Murray again told the House committee
OF the general indignation prevailing
throughout the United States and de-
nounced the monopoly" Of the New Ha-
ven line. They urged the committee TO
order special inquiry. regardless of the
action Of the Department Of Justice
Mr.. Murray said that, while he did not
! question the motives OF Attorney General
| Wickersham, the people of New England
were not satisfied with the way this stu
alton was being dealt with by the execu-
tive branch of the government. Unless
| the situation in Massachusetts Is relieved