The New York herald., 1921-09-29
ALL i. S. RAILWAYS
IN 10 Big SYSTEMS
Interstate Commerce Board
Presents Tentative Plan
for Consolidation.
AIDS WEAKER LINES
Readjustment Of Terminal
Facilities Would Result
in Economy.
NO SALE OF PROPERTIES
Poorer Roads Would Join With
Stronger by Exchange Of
Securities.
NO SALE OF PROPERTIES

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2S.-A tentative
plan for consolidation Of all major
American railroads into nineteen great
competing systems was announced to-
day by the Interstate Commerce Com
mission.
The proposed combination, author
lied under the transportation act. is
designed to remove weaknesses in the
national railroad system shown by
the operation OF the rate making
power Of the commission. and to ef-
feet readjustment Of terminal and other
subsidiary facilities with resultant
economy In operation and delivery OF
shipments.
Weak lines which have shown their
inability to live" under rate schedules
profitable to stronger roads would,
under the plan, be attached to systems
more advantageously situated, but it
was announced that in every case the
effort was made to maintain the iden-
tity Of existing strong systems.
Hearings viii be called by the COM
mission for the purpose Of discussing
the proposed consultations. Since un-
der the law no plan can be adopted
which has not been given the approval
OF the individual lines affected as well
as that of the commission, it was ex-
pccted that discussion would be pro-
longed and that number OF modihca-
tions from the plan made public to-day
would be suggested.
I'VE have sought to minimize dis
memberment Of existing lines and sys-
tcms," the commissions announcement
said. "This tentative plan Is put for
ward in order to elicit a full record upon
which the plan ultimately adopted can
rest, and without prejudgment."
AS announced to-day. the proposed
consultations are:
No. New York Central. includ-
ing the Cleveland. Cincinnati. Chi
cago and st. Louis. Monongahela.
Boston and Maine. Bangor and Aroo-
stock and Others
No. 2-Pennsylvania, including To-
ledo, Peoria and Western, Long ISL
and, Monongahela. as an alternative
to the inclusion Of that road In the
New York Central system. and
others.
No. 3--Baltimore and Ohio, Read
ing, New York. New Haven and
Hartford; Lehigh and Hudson and
others.
No. 4-Chicago and Erie, Della
ware, Lackawanna and Western,
Bessemer and Lave Erie, Wabash
lines east Of the Missouri and others.
No. 5-Lehigh Valley, New York.
Chicago and st. Louis. Pittsburgh
and West Virginia and others.
No. 6--Pere Marquette. Ann Arbor
and others.
No. New York, New Haven and
Hartford. Boston and Maine, Ban
gor and Aroostook, Lehigh and Hud-
son River, all of these being alterna-
lively to be taken into other systems.
The commission here proposed
variation indicated as system No. 7-A.
or New England-Great Lakes consoli-
dation, which would include the roads
given in No. THE Delaware and Hud-
son. the Delaware, Lackawanna and
Western, the Buffalo. Rochester and
Pittsburgh and others.
No. S-Chesapeake and Ohio. Hook
ing Valley and virginian.
No. 9-Norfolk and Western. To-
ledo and Ohio Central and others.
No. 10-Southern, New Orleans
Cr,at Northern and Alabama and
Vicksburg.
No. 1I-Atlantic Coast Line. Nor
folk Southern, Florida East Coast,
Mississippi Central Carolina, Clnch-
field and Ohio and Louisville and
Nashville and others.
No. 12-Illinois Central, Seaboard
Air Line. Carolina. Clinchfield and
Ohio. alternatively, and others.
No. t3-Union Pacific lines. Chicago
and Northwestern. Wabash lines
west OF the Missouri and others.
No. H-Chicago. Burlington and
Quincy, Northern Pacific, Spokane,
Portland and Seattle and others.
No. 15-Chicsgo, Milwaukee and st.
Paul. Great Northern and others.
No. 16--Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fe. Colorado and Southern, Denver
and Rio Grande, Western Pacific
and others.
No. 17-Southern Pacific Company.
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, FL
Paso and Southwestern, vicksburg,
Shreveport and Pacific and others.
No. 1S-St Louis-San Francisco, st.
Louis Southwestern, Chicago and AL
ton. Missouri, Kansas and Texas,
San Antonio. Uvalde and Gulf and
others.
No. 1e--Chicago and Eastern Illi-
nois. Missouri Pacific, Texas and
Pacific. Gulf Coast lines and others.
In the main this plan follows the line
OF consolidation worked out under the
direction of the Interstate Commerce
Commission by Prof. william z. Ripley
of Harvard College. but some changes
were made and alternatives proposed.
Prof. Ripley's report. issusd with the
commission plan. suggested that the
consultations. Ii decided upon, could be
brought about without sale OF proper
ties through the exchange OF securities
between the corporations participating
In mergers